Scooby Doo on Babylon 5
by Johnny Lee Achziger
Summary: Scooby- Doo & the Gang investigate mysterious events and end up in the future!


SCOOBY DOO ON BABYLON 5  
  
  
  
  
  
by Johnny Lee Achziger  
  
  
for his wonderful daughter Katy  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
SOMEWHERE IN KANSAS, LATE IN THE 20TH CENTURY:  
  
The old farmer cautiously crept toward the barn, tightly clutching his hunting rifle in one arm as he   
held the collar of his hound with his other hand. He had heard the stories of the monsters that had   
been raiding farms all around the area. And he himself had seen the mysterious lights in the sky   
over the past few days. Now, he feared, he was about to meet the monsters face to face, for he was   
hearing strange noises coming from his barn, and he could see brilliant flashes of light through the   
cracks in the great barn doors.  
  
"Now keep quiet, Baskerville," he whispered to his hound. "We don't want to let those monsters   
know we're coming."  
  
The hound dog was obviously as frightened as his owner, for he whimpered and struggled to get   
away--not wanting to run towards the barn, but wanting desperately to go in the other direction.  
  
"Now don't that beat all," the farmer muttered softly. "I ain't never seen you scared of nothin' afore."   
Out of sympathy, he set the poor creature free and, sure enough, the veteran hunting dog took off   
running away from the barn as quickly as his old legs would carry him.  
  
Even more frightened now himself, never-the-less the old farmer moved slowly towards his barn. He   
wasn't about to let anyone--or anything--get away with any mischief on his farm.  
  
When he reached the door, he cautiously peeked inside. He had expected to find all the animals   
reacting with the same sort of fear and panic as his hound, but to his surprise, they were all calmly   
going about their business, eating, sleeping, nesting. If it wasn't for the persistent humming noises   
coming from one of the back stalls (and of course, the flashes of light), he would not suspect that   
anything was out of the ordinary.  
  
It was only when he opened the door far enough to let himself in, causing it to creak loudly, that his   
animals--horses, cows, chickens, all turned to look at him. And, he noticed immediately, the strange   
humming noise stopped.  
  
"Uh oh," he said, louder than he wanted to.  
  
After standing still in the doorway for better than a minute, he decided it was time to force the   
encounter. He clicked off the safety of his rifle, pointed it towards the back stall, and said loudly,   
"Come on out of there and let me see you!"  
  
What he saw was so totally unexpected that he dropped both his rifle and his jaw simultaneously. A   
large figure, seemingly covered all in dark robes, came into view. The farmer noticed an unusually   
elongated head as the creature pointed an arm at him. As the farmer screamed and tried desperately   
to run away, he found that he could not move.  
  
And then lightning seemed to flash from the creature's arm, enveloping the old farmer, causing his   
scream to fade into silence.  
  
  
  
  
  
TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES LATER, SOMEWHERE IN HYPERSPACE, TWO DAYS' OUT FROM   
BABYLON 5:  
  
A small starship moved steadily through hyperspace. It's pilot and lone occupant, an alien   
apparently of a race as yet unkown to mankind, stood before a control panel, speaking to someone   
in a rather nervous tone. There were virtually no lights in the cabin, so it was hard for the pilot to   
see, and hard for him to be seen by whomever he was speaking to. The viewscreen was dark; if not   
for the nearly unintelligible voice coming from the speakers, it would have been impossible to tell   
that the pilot was communicating with anyone.  
  
"I say again, I'm about two days away from Babylon 5. I don't know what's wrong with the   
communications system--you built this ship, you know, not me--"  
  
The voice from the speaker replied, though the pilot could not make out what was said.  
  
"I can't understand anything you're saying. But rest assured, everything is going according to plan.   
If your agent on Babylon 5 is aware of my imminent arrival, as you promised he would be, then   
nothing can go wrong. In a couple more days, Babylon 5 will no longer be of any concern to our   
masters."  
  
Once more the speakers buzzed with static. The pilot cursed at the alien technology that built this   
ship, then signed off. As he walked out of the cabin, he muttered, "Don't these people believe in   
lights?"  
  
  
  
  
  
It was the earth year 2259. Already, momentous, soon-to-be catastrophic events had been set into   
motion that would forever change everything in the universe. But early on in this year, an event   
occurred that was much less momentous and certainly not all that catastrophic (depending on who's   
telling the story). But it was interesting, at least to those who lived through it.  
  
Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon space stations. Far removed from Earth, located in neutral   
territory, where humans and aliens of many races could come together and try to work out their   
differences peacefully. The new commander of the station, Captain John Sheridan, had only recently   
come aboard. The events described here occurred during the first months of his command, shortly   
after Minbari ambassador Delenn had emerged from her cocoon, and Security Chief Garibaldi had   
returned to active duty following his recovery from an assassination attempt.  
  
But our story begins, not in deep space, but back on Earth. And not in the far-flung future, but in the   
late 20th Century. Our main protagonists are four young adventurers on a quest for excitement and   
mystery.  
  
Oh, and a great big dog named Scooby Doo.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a hot summer evening when the Mystery Machine pulled into a convenience store gas   
station, seemingly in the middle of Nowheresville, Kansas. The van's tank was nearly empty, and so   
were the "tanks" of Scooby and Shaggy; but then it seemed as if they were never filled up.  
  
"Like, I'm hungry gang," said Shaggy.  
  
"Re, roo," said Scooby.  
  
"So what else is new?" asked Velma, in her most sarcastic tone of voice. "We just had supper an   
hour ago."  
  
"Sure," said Shaggy, "but that's, like, ancient history to my stomach."  
  
"Your stomach!" Daphne rolled her eyes as she looked at Shaggy in the rear view mirror. "I swear, if   
my Daddy wasn't financing our trips, we would have gone broke before we left our hometown   
paying for the food bill for you two."  
  
"Like, it's a good thing your Daddy is a gazillionaire, huh Daph!" Shaggy briefly thought about   
thanking Daphne for her Father's generosity, but the thought immediately disappeared when he   
saw a sign in the store's window for foot-long hot dogs. "C'mon Scooby, let's go fill 'er up."  
  
Fred thought for an instant that Shaggy was actually going to fill up the gas tank, but by the time he   
turned around to look, Shaggy and Scooby were already going through the front door of the store.   
"How about I fill up the gas," Fred said, "I'm sure you girls need to powder your noses."  
  
Velma started to make a comment about Fred's condescending attitude, but a sudden flash of light   
in the distant sky made her change the subject. "Jenkies! Did you guys see that?"  
  
"How could we miss it?" Daphne asked. "It looked like a flash of lightning."  
  
"But there's no clouds in the sky at all," said Freddy.  
  
"Hurry up and get the gas," said Velma. "I smell a mystery."  
  
Fred quickly filled up the gas tank and was heading inside to pay for the gas when he was nearly   
knocked over by a frantic pair of fleeing bodies.  
  
"Whoa! What's the rush guys?" Fred said to Shaggy as he and Scooby zipped by.  
  
"That guy in there is nuts!" Shaggy shouted over his shoulder.  
  
"Reah, ruts!" agreed Scooby.  
  
As soon as Fred got inside, he could see why Shaggy thought the attendant was not exactly your   
average convenience store clerk. He looked normal enough, but he was pointing a very large, very   
mean looking shotgun right at Fred.  
  
"Hey! Peace, man!" Fred said, instinctively raising his arms. "I just want to pay for the gas."  
  
The clerk pointed the shotgun towards the counter and nodded his head in that direction. Fred   
slowly and carefully set his money down on the counter, then backed away towards the door. Fred   
was rather surprised when the clerk spoke. "Two for one special on the foot-longs today."  
  
"Thanks," Fred said. "I'll pass. Nice store you've got here, though."  
  
The clerk's expression never changed during all of this. He didn't even move to pick up the money   
until Fred had backed out through the door.  
  
Back in the Mystery Machine, Fred slipped in behind the steering wheel and started up the van,   
joining in the conversation as Shaggy described to the girls what had occurred to him. "Yeah, that   
was one weird guy!" Fred said.  
  
"You can say that again," Shaggy agreed. "Man, if we weren't so hungry, I would have ran out the   
moment I saw that shotgun."  
  
Velma gasped. "You mean you actually picked out some food while that nutcase had a shotgun   
pointed at you?"  
  
"Like, sure!" Shaggy answered. "I couldn't pass up their two for one foot-long hot dogs!" Right then   
Shaggy and Scooby took big chomps out of those aforementioned dogs, effectively ending their   
contributions to the conversation.  
  
"Why do you suppose he had that shotgun anyway?" asked Daphne.  
  
"Obviously he was pretty scared of something," Fred suggested.  
  
Fred pointed the van back to the highway and turned in the direction of the flash of light they had   
seen earlier. A few miles down the road, they saw a sign pointing to another road and Fred turned   
onto that dirt road heading towards a small town.  
  
"Cordwainer, Kansas," read the sign. "Three miles."  
  
About a couple of miles down the road, they saw another sign, an old wooden one with the paint   
nearly faded. Shaggy read it aloud, as if the gang couldn't read it for themselves.  
  
"'Welcome to Cordwainer'. Like, that's an weird name."  
  
Just past the welcome sign was a larger sign, even older, splintering and ragged, reading: "State   
Championship Teams." Beneath that were about a dozen spaces for the teams to be listed. Only   
one had a plaque in it: "1938 State Champion Tennis Team."  
  
Freddy commented, "Looks like it's been a while since they had any good teams."  
  
"And look at the name of their school team!" laughed Shaggy. "The Fighting Birds! Now there's a   
tough sounding team name. Like, I can just imagine the school's fight song (Shaggy sang it like a   
cheerleader would):  
  
  
'Tweet, tweet, tweet,  
  
Our birds are really neat!  
  
Tweet, tweet, tweet,  
  
Cordwainer can't be beat!'"  
  
  
All the gang got a big laugh out of that one.  
  
"And their motto:" Shaggy continued, "Don't mess with us or we'll mess on you."  
  
Daphne was in tears. "Oh, please stop!" she gasped, "You're killing me!"  
  
"The Cordwainer Birds," Fred repeated when he could catch his breath. "Not the Eagles or Hawks   
or even Penguins...just the Birds? What kind of a school mascot is that?"  
  
Shaggy just had to get one more in: "And I betcha their big cross-state rivals are the Smallville   
Butterflies!"  
  
Velma, who was probably the one in the group most sensitive to ridicule, decided it was time to   
change the subject. "I wonder what kind of mystery we'll find here?" she said.  
  
"Well, we're about to find out," Fred answered. "There's beautiful downtown Cordwainer."  
  
The town was a typical farm community of a couple of thousand residents (possibly counting the   
cows and chickens). The "downtown" was only three blocks long, with the town hall right in the   
middle. And that seemed to be where everyone was this evening, for there were dozens of cars   
parked every which way in the area, and the gang could see several people filing into the town hall.  
  
"Well, gang," Fred said, "let's go find out what's going on around here."  
  
The five Mystery Inc. members joined with several others who were entering the town hall.   
Apparently the meeting had already begun, as one man was speaking loudly from a platform at one   
end of the small auditorium. He was gesturing wildly and going on about monsters attacking all the   
farms in the area. After a few minutes of this, a Sheriff's officer came up on the stage and attempted   
to calm the man. He was an older man, probably nearing retirement, and the last thing he wanted   
was a panic in his town. Finally, the Sheriff had a couple other men escort the upset man off the   
stage.  
  
The crowd was practically in a frenzy--people were calling out for the Sheriff to do something, some   
wanted the army called in, some of the women were crying.  
  
Then the sheriff began to speak. "All right, I know everyone's upset, but it won't do us any good to   
go off and start shooting everything that moves. Now, you all heard what Jonathan here had to say   
about the attack at his farm. He's the only one who's actually seen anything, and I know Jonathan   
thinks it was a monster, but it sounds to me like it was probably a bear."  
  
"Bears don't shoot lightning!" someone yelled.  
  
"No, and neither does any other creature on God's good earth," answered the Sheriff.  
  
"Are you calling me a liar!" the farmer identified as Jonathan yelled back.  
  
"No, of course not," said the Sheriff. "But it was dark, and you yourself said you'd had a couple of   
beers." The Sheriff didn't mention it, but it was well known that Jonathan was a heavy imbiber.   
"Now, we know that someone or something is out there, breaking into barns and taking livestock,   
but we still don't know what it is. I'd suggest everybody go home, lock your doors, and don't go out   
after dark. I've got a call in to the Highway Patrol--we'll get some extra help out here tomorrow."  
  
After a few more minutes of calm reasoning from the Sheriff, the crowd became much less agitated.   
The atmosphere was no longer one of a terrified crowd, but the fear still hung heavy in the air.  
  
"Well, gang," said Velma, "it looks like we have a big mystery to solve here."  
  
"Like, yeah," Shaggy added. "Sounds like another guy in a monster costume."  
  
Velma suggested they all go around and collect clues before the crowd began dispersing, so they   
split up and started asking questions of everyone they came across. By midnight, the crowd was   
pretty much gone. As the gang got back together to compare notes, the Sheriff came over to them.  
  
"I've been watching you kids talking to everyone," he said. "What is it you're after?"  
  
Fred answered for the gang. "We were just passing through and saw everyone gathering here, so   
we thought we'd see what was going on?"  
  
"There's nothing here for you," the Sheriff snarled. "We've got enough trouble here without a   
bunch of meddling kids getting involved."  
  
Daphne always knew how and when to turn on the charm, and this seemed like the time to do so.   
She widened her eyes and tilted her head slightly downward. "Why, Sheriff, you wouldn't want to   
send us poor children out, all alone in the night, with all this scary talk of monsters and such, would   
you?" She got a pout in her voice. "I...I'm really frightened by all this."  
  
The effect on the Sheriff was just as Daphne had calculated. "Ah, honey, there's nothing to be afraid   
of. Why don't you kids come out to my house. My wife and I would be glad to put you up for the   
night."  
  
"You're just too kind," Daphne said. "We'd be glad to stay with you."  
  
As the gang followed the Sheriff out of the town hall, Fred turned to Daphne and spoke to her so   
that the others couldn't hear him. "I hate it when you do that."  
  
"What?" Daphne said, somewhat offended. "I just thought we could learn more by sticking close to   
the Sheriff. I wasn't trying to pull his strings or anything."  
  
Fred thought to himself that Daphne didn't realize what effect she could have on men. Many guys   
just fell all over themselves trying to please her. And he really did hate it when she played the   
helpless damsel. But he wasn't really sure why that bothered him so much.  
  
"Well, it'll probably work out okay," Fred said. "It's pretty late and we all need some sleep. We'll get   
together first thing in the morning and compare notes on what we learned tonight."  
  
The Sheriff lived only a few blocks away. When he brought home four kids and a big dog after   
midnight, his wife was, amazingly enough, sweet as could be about the situation. They had raised   
four kids themselves, and she was used to his bringing home unusual people at all hours. The kids   
settled into the guest bedrooms and quickly fell asleep.  
  
Next morning, the kids sat down to a delicious breakfast cooked by the Sheriff's wife, (which almost   
filled up Shaggy), the kids read off all the notes they had gathered the night before. They discussed   
the attacks with the Sheriff, whose name was David Peters, and, by comparing notes with the   
farmers they had interviewed the night before, they came to a startling conclusion.  
  
Velma summed it up for everyone. "There's not just a similar pattern to these attacks--it's the exact   
same story with every one of them! It starts with a bright flash of light in the sky near the farm. Then   
the dogs go crazy, and when the farmer goes out to investigate, he sees lights in his barn, but the   
dogs won't go near the barn no matter what. So the farmer goes on in, but all the animals are calm   
as can be. Then, some of the farmers remember seeing a large figure, but then...nothing. Either the   
farmer passes out or he just plain can't remember anything. Then it's all over."  
  
"Like, weird," offered Shaggy.  
  
"Yeah, but I think there's more to it," Velma continued. I couldn't get anyone to come out and admit   
it, but I think there was something stolen from each of the farms."  
  
All eyes turned to Sheriff Peters, who suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Daphne looked at him with   
her eyes wide and that coy smile that Fred hated to see her use on other men, and the Sheriff gave   
in.  
  
"Okay, you're right," he said. "There were some things stolen on each of the farms. The same thing   
on every one of them, in fact. But I'd rather not say what it was."  
  
"But why?" asked Daphne, as if she were trying to sweet talk her Daddy. "We won't tell anyone if   
you'd rather. But it might help us to solve this case if we had all the facts."  
  
The Sheriff hemmed and hawed for a minute, then gave in. "All right! But you've got to promise not   
to tell anyone--especially no reporters!-about what I'm about to tell you."  
  
Much as he hated to, Fred had to admit that sometimes Daphne's charm came in handy. He and the   
others all agreed to the Sheriff's request. Then they hung on his every word as he continued.  
  
"I've never seen nothing like this before. At every farm that's been attacked, the exact same thing   
has been stolen." He paused, either for dramatic effect or just because he was so perplexed, but the   
gang certainly didn't expect to hear the word he next said.  
  
"Ducks!"  
  
"Ducks?!?" the gang repeated in unison, not certain they had heard clearly.  
  
"Yep, all the ducks in nearly the whole county have gone missing. For some oddball reason,   
whoever's breaking into all these barns is stealing nothing but ducks. What he wants with all these   
ducks, I'll never know!"  
  
Fred again asked for a clarification. "Ducks, you said--not chickens or geese or   
turkeys--just...ducks?"  
  
"Yep. Ducks," he repeated again. "And that's why I don't want you talking to anybody about it."  
  
"I don't understand," said Fred. "I know it sounds highly unusual, but why should you want to keep   
it a secret?"  
  
Velma volunteered a valid reason. "So the robber doesn't know you're on to him?"  
  
"No!" answered the Sheriff. "It's because I don't want our town to become a laughing-stock. If some   
smart aleck big city reporter got ahold of this, why, he'd twist it so much, we'd never live down the   
ridicule."  
  
Shaggy thought to himself, "This from a town whose high school mascot is a tweety bird."  
  
Fred reiterated that the gang would keep this revelation a secret.  
  
By now, everyone was finished with breakfast, and the Sheriff's wife started cleaning off the table.   
She simply wouldn't allow the girls to help her do the clean-up chores.  
  
So the gang asked the Sheriff for a map of the area. He produced a large map of the entire county,   
and, with his help, they started mapping out the farms where the attacks had occurred.  
  
When they were done, Velma noticed something amazing. "Jenkies," she murmured. But, she didn't   
want the Sheriff to know what she unwittingly discovered, so she decided to wait until he left before   
she said anything.  
  
"Now you kids stay out of trouble," the Sheriff said as he headed off to work.  
  
"Don't you worry none about us," Daphne said, waving as the Sheriff left. "Now, Velma, what did   
you see on that map?"  
  
"Huh?" Velma said. "How did you know I found something?"  
  
"Whenever you say 'Jenkies', we know that you're on to something," Daphne answered, and the   
others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Okay," Velma said, spreading out the map in front of the gang. "Look here. I mapped out all the   
places where this monster has been reported. I'll draw a line here connecting all the farms on the   
outer edges." When she had drawn her line, she said, "Now what do we have here?"  
  
"A perfect circle!" Fred answered.  
  
"And that's not all," Velma said, continuing her drawing. She now drew a line connecting more of   
the farms, those closest to the center of the circle she had already drawn. "Now, what do you see?"  
  
"Like, a doughnut," Shaggy guessed.  
  
"Oh, you," Daphne said. "It's another circle, inside the bigger circle."  
  
"Yes," said Velma, excitement rising in her voice. "All the farms on the outer circle are about 50   
miles from the center, and all the farms on the inner circle are about 10 miles from the center. And all   
the other farms are in between these two circles. So what does that tell us?"  
  
Fred answered, "It looks like whoever is behind these attacks must be operating from the center   
point of the circles, and by not attacking any farm less than ten miles away, he's trying to keep his   
home base undetected."  
  
"So what's at the center point?" Daphne asked.  
  
Velma studied the map carefully. "According to the map--absolutely nothing!"  
  
"Where better to hide out than right in the middle of nowhere!" Fred was getting excited now also,   
as he sensed the solution to this mystery was very close. "All we have to do is find that spot on the   
map and I'll bet we'll find our monster!"  
  
"Like, how far away is it from here?" Shaggy asked.  
  
"About 30 miles," Velma calculated. "It looks like the nearest road is about 5 miles from that spot, so   
we'd better be prepared for a long hike."  
  
"Like, I'll start packing a lunch," Shaggy said, heading out the door. "Say, where's Scooby?"  
  
"I saw him go outside when the Sheriff went to work," Velma said. "I think he had to do his   
business."  
  
"Scooby!" Shaggy started calling as he went outside. "Scooby Doo, where are you!"  
  
  
  
  
  
The sun was just setting as the gang neared the top of the latest in a what seemed to be an   
unending series of hills and gullies. "Like, are we there yet?" Shaggy said, panting heavily.   
"Nobody said this would be an endurance contest!"  
  
"Oh, quit complaining, Shaggy," Velma chided. "This wasn't a topographical map, so I didn't know   
there'd be all these hills and coulees. But we must be awfully close."  
  
"Like I said before," Fred added. "This guy picked a really good hiding place."  
  
"Yeah," Shaggy gasped. "And I'm all for letting him keep on hiding."  
  
"Reah!" agreed Scooby. "Ri'm rungry!"  
  
As they reached the top of what they all hoped would be the last hill, they all paused and looked   
down on what they were certain must be the villain's hideout: an old barn out in the middle of a   
large gully.  
  
"That's got to be it," said Fred, excitedly.  
  
"But look at it, guys," Velma said. "There's no roads or even horse paths anywhere near that barn.   
Who would build a barn out here in the middle of nowhere with no way to get to it? It doesn't make   
any sense."  
  
"I'm betting he has a helicopter," Fred offered. "That would explain how he gets in and out of   
here--and the lights in the sky."  
  
Shaggy looked over at Scooby to see how he was doing, but what he saw was totally   
unexpected--even for Scooby. "Hey, Scooby! What's the matter, pal?"  
  
The gang turned to see Scooby literally trying to hide under a big rock where he'd dug out a small   
hole, his head stuck in the hole like a stereotypical ostrich, but his big behind was sticking way out.   
He was shivering with fear.  
  
"Scoob! What's the matter, boy!" Shaggy said, truly worried. He'd seen Scooby scared many times   
before, but never like this. The whole gang came over and tried to coax their friend out of hiding.  
  
"Scooby, what's the matter?" Velma repeated.  
  
Scooby lifted his head enough to mutter: "Ri'm rared! Ron't ro wry!" Then he stuck his head back in   
the hole.  
  
"This is just like all the dogs at the farms," Velma observed. "Remember, they would always get   
frightened and wouldn't go near the barns. I'll bet this guy must have some kind of high pitched   
sonic device that drives the dogs away! Is that it, Scooby?"  
  
"Runh-ruh!" Scooby growled. "Ron't rear rothing."  
  
"Well, whatever it is," Fred said, "we've got to get down there and stop this guy before he attacks   
another farm. C'mon, Scooby, we need your help."  
  
The gang all pulled on Scooby until he was clear of the hole. But he still wouldn't even sit up.   
Daphne tried to persuade him with the usual enticement, which she always carried in her purse.   
"Scooby, would you go down there for a Scooby Snack?" Scooby shook his head from side to   
side. Daphne pulled out another snack. "Would you do it for two Scooby Snacks?" That had always   
worked before, but the gang was astonished when Scooby again shook his head 'no'. "Oh, my!"   
Daphne said, pulling out another snack. "Scooby, would you do it for three Scooby Snacks?"  
  
This time Scooby's stomach got the better of his good judgement (as it always did), and he   
reluctantly agreed. Daphne let Scooby snatch the treats out of her hand, then she rubbed on his   
head and said, "Good boy, Scooby!"  
  
A few minutes, and a lot of encouraging words later, the gang carefully climbed down the hill and   
cautiously approached their goal, a large, otherwise ordinary looking barn. Scooby was still   
noticeably shivering, so Shaggy stuck close by his best pal. By now it was pretty dark out, the only   
light coming from the full moon high in the sky.  
  
Silently, the five intrepid adventurers crept up to the main entrance to the barn--a big set of double   
doors. There were plenty of cracks between the boards of the doors, so everybody found a hole to   
peek through. What they saw inside elicited a gasp from all of them.  
  
In the dim light of the barn the first thing they all noticed was...ducks! Hundreds and hundreds of   
ducks! All sizes and shapes and colors and types--probably every type of duck in existence--but   
most of them were the plain, ordinary white ducks you'd find on most any midwest farm. And they   
were all sitting peacefully in their places. It seemed like every square inch of the inside of the barn   
was covered by ducks!  
  
"Well, now we know where all the ducks went!" Daphne exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, but what's he doing with all of them is what I want to know!" Velma added.  
  
After they had absorbed the sight of the multitude of ducks, they realized that there were other   
unusual sights inside this strange barn. Fred motioned for everyone to look over to their right, just   
inside the doors. There they all saw what looked like several rows of machinery. They weren't at all   
sure what any of it was: some kind of control consoles?, generators?, computer systems? Much of   
it was some shiny metal, but large sections of it looked like it had some kind of covering, almost like   
some kind of skin, almost...organic?  
  
As they looked on, fascinated by this most unusual and unexpected enigma, lights started flashing   
from the machinery. No sounds emanated from there, but the lights served to attract the attention of   
someone who had until now gone unnoticed. From the back of the barn stepped forth a large figure.   
Surely, thought Fred, this must be the villain they had hoped to find here.  
  
The gang all stared in astonishment as the figure moved into the light and they got a good look at   
him. He was wearing a costume, they all figured, but what an unusual costume, certainly like   
nothing they had ever encountered before. The figure stood some seven feet tall, was dressed in   
robes that surrounded his bulky body and rose around the back of his head like a crest, and he had   
a huge elongated helmet that looked like it was made of fiberglass. Around his neck was something   
that looked like an inner tube, only it also looked like fiberglass, with some sort of short tubes   
sticking out from the big tube. He moved slowly toward the machinery, seeming to float across the   
floor.  
  
Very softly, Shaggy expressed his opinion of the costume: "He looks like he's wearing a shower   
curtain!" Daphne started to giggle and Fred had to put his hand on her shoulder and signal for her   
to keep it quiet.  
  
"Now here's my plan," Fred whispered. "Shaggy, you and Velma circle around to the back of the   
barn. Did you see that small door near the back corner?" They nodded. "Okay, the rest of us will   
stay here. We'll give you three minutes, then we'll all bust in and capture this Shower Curtain Guy.   
Velma, do you have the handcuffs?" She checked her purse, then nodded. "Okay, guys, this is it!"   
As his friends turned the corner of the barn, Fred could feel the adrenalin rush starting to build. He   
always got a big rush when they were about to capture the villain. That was probably the main   
attraction for Fred for this kind of work. That, and one other thing.  
  
As Fred turned to check on Daphne, he saw her standing in the bright moonlight, perfectly framed   
against the impossibly large, full moon. Daphne was trying to keep Scooby from going along with   
Shaggy. When she turned towards Fred and gave him that bewitching smile of hers, Fred found   
himself blurting out, "I have never seen anything more beautiful!"  
  
Daphne looked around behind her at the moon. "Oh, isn't it just wonderful? I just love full moons   
and starry skies."  
  
Fred had the courage to face any sort of monster--fake or real, any kind of danger, but for some   
reason, when it came to Daphne, he sometimes just couldn't find the words he wanted to say to her.   
But this time it would be different. Fred was going to tell Daphne exactly how he felt about her.  
  
Whatever may have happened next was interrupted by the frenzied sounds of their friends   
screaming for help from inside the barn!  
  
"Oh, no!" Fred suddenly realized the three minutes had passed and Shaggy and Velma had dashed   
into the villain's lair without him to back them up. He and Daphne rushed to the barn door and   
peered inside. The first thing they noticed were the ducks--they were wildly flying everywhere, and   
there were so many of them it was hard to see their friends in all the excitement. Then, to their   
astonishment, they did see their friends--struggling to free themselves! But from what? They   
seemed to be suspended two feet off the ground, wildly waving their arms and kicking their feet, but   
not moving in any direction. The Shower Curtain Guy stood before them, observing them. Their   
friends didn't seem to be in any pain, but they were screaming like frightened children.  
  
Daphne started to pull on the big barn door, but Fred restrained her. Scooby, too, tried to get past   
Fred, overcoming his fear in the face of his friends' danger. Daphne pleaded with Fred, "But,   
Freddy, we've got to help them!"  
  
"I know!" Fred answered. "But this is too big for us! I want you to go back to town and get help!   
Take Scooby with you and go find the Sheriff and tell him what's going on here!"  
  
Suddenly, Daphne was very scared. She had never know Freddy to act like this. "All right, I'll go,"   
she agreed, reluctantly. "But, you be careful, Freddy Jones!" She started to walk away, but turned   
and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I will!" Fred assured her, gently touching Daphne's cheek. "Now go on, get out of here before that   
guy comes looking for us."  
  
Fred watched for just a moment as Daphne and Scooby turned and headed back towards the hill.   
He sighed, suddenly regretting not telling Daphne everything that he had wanted to tell her. Then he   
turned back to the barn door, opened it just enough so that he could squeeze through, and entered   
the den of the greatest villain he'd ever faced!  
  
After going less than a hundred feet, Daphne paused. She looked at Scooby, then looked back at   
the barn. The door was slightly open and she knew Fred had gone inside. "Scooby," she said,   
bending down to hug her canine friend. "What are we doing running away when our friends are in   
trouble?"  
  
"Reah!" Scooby agreed. "Rour riends reed relp!"  
  
"Okay, fella," Daphne said, straightening up. After taking a couple of deep breaths, she said, "Let's   
go get that guy, Scooby!"  
  
Daphne and Scooby crept back to the barn as noiselessly as they possibly could. Instead of going   
back to the main door, they went around to the right, to the small door near where they had seen all   
the machinery. Daphne whispered to Scooby to stick by her side and not do anything rash, like   
bounding towards Shaggy or attacking the Shower Curtain Guy, until she had come up with a plan.   
Cautiously, Daphne pulled the door open just far enough to peek inside. Seeing no one, she   
sneaked inside, Scooby right behind her. As soon as she was inside, she knelt down below the   
consoles and crawled over to where she could see what was happening in the middle of the barn.   
Once again, the ducks had calmed down and were sitting in various places around the barn. As   
Daphne changed her position to get a better view, she was startled by a short "quack"! She fell   
backwards, landing on her behind. She looked up to see one of the ducks right above her, sitting   
on one of the consoles!  
  
Daphne was afraid the duck would give her away, and wasn't sure what to do about it. If she tried to   
shoo the duck away, surely it would make more noise. But if she did nothing, it might give her away   
anyway. Before she could decide what to do, the duck solved her problem for her. It jumped right in   
her lap! Daphne tried to gently set the duck aside, but the duck wouldn't have it. The duck had seen   
Scooby nearby and wasn't about to let go of its place of refuge. Apparently it was going to stay right   
where it was and Daphne was afraid it would make more noise if she tried to deal with it any more   
forcefully. By now she was getting pretty upset at this duck--all she wanted to do was to see what   
was going on with her friends and here she was trapped by a stupid duck! And it was a big one, too!  
  
She finally managed to situate herself so that she was still crouched down, but held the duck in her   
arms as she crawled around the machinery, and she was rewarded with a good view of the   
situation. Fred was now beside Shaggy and Velma, all were suspended in mid air, but they had quit   
their yelling. They were still flailing wildly, but didn't seem to be able to make any noise. The Shower   
Curtain Guy stood before them, as if wondering what he was going to do with them.  
  
Scooby was obviously getting anxious, and Daphne wanted to grab a pitchfork or shovel or some   
other large implement, but could not see any such thing anywhere nearby. Anyway, even if she had   
spotted something, she couldn't grab it because of the duck she was forced to carry. After watching   
helplessly for two or three minutes, it occurred to Daphne that whatever force was holding her   
friends in the air was probably generated and controlled by the very machinery around her. She   
pulled herself up on her knees to try to see if she could figure out which machine might be   
activated. Several of the consoles were blinking lights of various colors, but the one that seemed to   
be the most likely candidate was directly in the middle of all the rest. There was a metal platform   
about 10 feet in diameter with some sort of console on a pedestal right in the middle of the platform.   
It seemed to be making a humming sound, yet unlike any machinery she had ever before heard. In   
fact, it sounded more like a cat's purring than anything else she could think of.  
  
At any rate, she carefully crawled across the platform and felt confident that she could stand up on   
the far side of its control panel without being seen. As she gazed at the dazzling array of controls,   
she realized that she did not understand what any of it meant. There were no buttons, no levers, no   
dials...how was she supposed to turn it off if she didn't even know what to do. Finally, she decided   
she was just going to start touching everything in the hopes that something would happen.  
  
But just then everything changed, and, for Daphne, nothing would ever be the same again!  
  
When she peered around the machine to check on everyone, she noticed for the first time that there   
were some hay loft doors above the main doors, and they were open. As she glanced out at the   
bright moon, she noticed something moving against the backdrop of the moon. At first, it looked   
like a little black spot and she passed it off as a dark cloud. But, as she watched it, the spot quickly   
grew bigger and bigger and she could see more details. As it grew larger, she could see it had,   
what?, arms?, tentacles? It looked for all the world like a giant spider! Whatever it was, it was   
moving directly towards them.  
  
Within seconds, it had filled the whole sky within her view. It seemed to stop, but Daphne could not   
determine the size of the spider thing, nor could she tell how far away it was. She looked over to the   
Shower Curtain Guy, who had just then noticed the intruder. He had no time to do anything (except   
Daphne would have sworn she heard a mechanical voice say, "Uh oh!"). Just then the sky turned   
bright red and a flash of light energy hit the barn with enough force to throw the Shower Curtain   
Guy clear across the length of the barn. Fred and the others dropped to the ground and Daphne   
called out to them. Ducks were flying madly all around everyone.  
  
Before anyone could move, a second flash of light emanated from the spider thing and struck the   
entire array of machinery. Daphne and Scooby were right in the middle of the area where it struck.   
As Fred and the others watched in growing horror, the light grew in intensity and danced around   
the machinery, each unit exploding one after another. Daphne and Scooby were unable to move!  
  
As suddenly as the spider thing had appeared, it now disappeared. The area where the light beam   
had struck was now totally barren, only the dirt floor of the barn remained. No machinery of any   
type could be seen. No Daphne or Scooby, either.  
  
The realization suddenly struck the gang that their friends were gone!  
  
"Daphne!" Fred yelled in a terror filled voice.  
  
"Scooby!" Shaggy screamed.  
  
"Jenkies!" Velma whispered.  
  
Regaining his wits, Fred ran over to where the Shower Curtain Guy was laying. Fred shook the   
villain around his shoulders and screamed at him, tears welling up in his eyes. "Where's Daphne!   
Where are they!"  
  
Fred shook and shook and, finally, their adversary stirred. He was unable to move other than to turn   
his head towards Fred, and say in a voice that seemed to be whispered through a pneumatic tube:   
"Shadowsss!"  
  
  
  
  
  
In the year 2259, Captain John Sheridan became the commander of the space station Babylon 5. He   
was a hands-on kind of commander and was to be found in the Command and Control Center more   
often than anywhere else. He had only been here for a few weeks now, but was becoming very   
familiar with his crew and the everyday operations of the station.  
  
Today, he was meeting with his command staff to make sure the final preparations were in order for   
the arrival in a couple of days of the ambassador from a new race of aliens that no one had yet   
encountered in person. Naturally, he was somewhat nervous, as the government back on Earth had   
placed a very high priority on forging good relations with this new race. While a growing number of   
alien hate groups had recently become active on Earth, the government policy was still to forge   
alliances and trade agreements with all races that were encountered.  
  
So Sheridan was probably more upset than he normally would have been when seemingly all the   
alarm systems in C&C sounded at once. Immediately, an extraordinarily bright burst of light flashed   
throughout the Command Center and, for a moment everyone on the station experienced the   
sensation of having their hair stand on end.  
  
"What in the world was that?" he said to Commander Susan Ivanova. She just shrugged her   
shoulders as they both rushed into the main control center.  
  
Lt. David Corwin saw them approach and said, "It appears to have been a highly concentrated burst   
of light and energy that came from Epsilon 3."  
  
"Epsilon 3?" Sheridan repeated. "The planet below us? With Draal and that giant machine of his?"  
  
"That would be the one," Ivanova said, checking the control panel in front of Lt. Corwin. "But why   
would he be shooting at us?"  
  
"I don't know," said Ivanova. "But according to this, he may not have known about it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sheridan asked.  
  
"It looks like the energy beam just reflected off the surface of Epsilon 3," Ivanova answered. "It   
appears to have originated somewhere further out in space. But there's no sign of a ship or   
anything in the area where the beam originated. Unless...Yes! There's signs here that a jump-gate   
opened right in that area. Apparently, someone must have been hiding in hyperspace, opened a   
jump-gate, fired the beam at Epsilon 3, and it reflected up here to Babylon 5."  
  
"But why?" Sheridan asked. "Any damage reported?"  
  
"None whatsoever," Corwin reported. "But here's something else unusual. According to our   
sensors, that beam was composed of a lot more than just light. There's traces of tachyon particles,   
zeta beams, gamma rays, Gridley waves, Peabody particles, Dexter dimensional differentials... just   
about everything in the book!"  
  
"What? No pixie dust?" Ivanova asked with a grin on her face.  
  
"Huh?" Corwin asked? Susan simply shrugged and went back to her console.  
  
Sheridan turned to Ivanova and barked out an order, "Ivanova, get ahold of Draal and see if he   
knows anything about what just happened!"  
  
By now all the alarms had quieted down. All but one, that is.  
  
Sheridan rushed over to large schematic of the station and saw the alarm was coming from one of   
the docking bay areas.  
  
"What is it?" Sheridan barked.  
  
Lt. Corwin answered, "Intruder alert in docking bay 13!"  
  
"13!" Sheridan repeated. "Isn't that Kosh's assigned docking bay?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" Corwin answered. "But Kosh is off-station at this time."  
  
"Great!" Sheridan said. "Just what we need with a new ambassador coming!" He hit the 'send'   
switch on his com-link and called out, "Security!"  
  
"Garibaldi here," came the voice over the link.  
  
"Chief," Sheridan replied, "we've got an intruder in docking bay 13!"  
  
"Already on it!" came Garibaldi's reply. "I've got a team right outside the doors and I'll be there   
myself in two minutes!"  
  
Sheridan was impressed. Garibaldi had only recently returned to work after his near fatal shooting,   
but he seemed to be already back up to speed. "Okay, Chief, keep me informed."  
  
Within two minutes, Security Chief Garibaldi was at the entranceway to docking bay 13, the one   
assigned to Ambassador Kosh of the Vorlons. The one no one was allowed to enter, with or without   
the Vorlon present. The one with the special locking mechanism that only the command staff could   
activate. He quickly got up to speed on the situation: it was impossible for anyone to have entered   
or left the docking bay since Kosh had last departed. And yet someone was certainly in there now!  
  
"Okay!" said Garibaldi to his dozen or so men. "I'll pop the door open and we'll take out whoever's   
in there as quickly as possible. Don't fire unless I give the command--we don't want to damage   
anything in there that the Vorlon might be fond of." As he entered the combination into the locking   
device, he muttered to himself, "I sure hope this isn't one of Kosh's buddies who just dropped by   
for a visit."  
  
The door slid open, Garibaldi and his men rushed in and quickly surrounded the three figures   
sitting in the middle of the floor in docking bay 13, right where Kosh's ship would normally be   
setting. "Freeze!" Garibaldi commanded.  
  
The objects of Garibaldi's attention sat motionless on the floor. At the sound of his voice, they all   
turned towards him, but were unable to see clearly. The two larger figures instinctively rubbed their   
eyes and slowly their vision returned. As the security officers came into better focus, one of the   
intruders turned to the other and growled in a voice unintelligible to Garibaldi: "Ri ron't rink re're rin   
Ransas ranymore, Raphne."  
  
  
  
  
  
Daphne was totally confused. She remembered that only a moment ago she was in a barn in   
Kansas in the middle of an explosion. Now she wasn't sure where she was or why she was   
surrounded by a bunch of men who looked like police officers in riot gear. She heard one of them   
speaking, but wasn't yet able to focus on his words well enough to understand what he was saying.   
She slowly came to the conclusion that she must have passed out and these guys must have   
arrived to arrest the Shower Curtain Guy. She also realized that she was still holding that stupid   
duck.  
  
"Put the bird down!" Garibaldi commanded.  
  
Daphne slowly comprehended what he meant and tried to set the duck down, but the duck would   
have none of that! It started flapping wildly and quacking and pecking at Garibaldi, who instinctively   
backed off a little way. Daphne retrieved the duck and it settled down again. She tried to stand up,   
but had difficulty what with the duck and her confusion and all.  
  
"Where's Freddy?" she asked as Garibaldi reached down to help her up.  
  
"Freddy?" Garibaldi repeated. "You mean there's more of you?"  
  
"What are you guys?" Daphne asked. "State Police?"  
  
"Huh?" said Garibaldi. "Honey, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but I'll be the   
one asking the questions here. Okay?" He turned to his men and gave them some orders about   
looking for this "Freddy" guy. All but a couple of the men then left.  
  
Daphne looked all around her, trying to discern where she was. She seemed to be in a large   
warehouse unit in some sort of an all-metal building. Any exploration of her surroundings was cut   
short, however, when Garibaldi once again turned his attention to her. She looked to Scooby and   
he looked back at her, as if awaiting an explanation from her, or at least a command from her to do   
something...anything.  
  
After instructing one of his men named Zack to guard Scooby, Garibaldi turned back to Daphne. He   
reached for the purse which hung over her shoulder. She pulled back a little, but Garibaldi said,   
"May I?", very politely, and Daphne relented.  
  
Digging through her purse, he found mostly girl stuff (most of which he didn't recognize), a small   
camera (with which he managed to set off the flash right in his face, blinding himself for a minute).   
Then he said, "I'll have to hang onto your purse for a little while." Lastly he pulled out a couple of   
little baggies with some sort of hard biscuits in them.  
  
"What's this?" he asked.  
  
"They're called Scooby snacks," she said.  
  
"Snacks, huh?" he said. "Mind if I have one?"  
  
Without blinking, Daphne said dryly, "Help yourself."  
  
Garibaldi popped one in his mouth, chewed it up, made a noise of satisfaction, and said, "Hey!   
These are really good!" He started to put them back in Daphne's purse, but Daphne said, "Go ahead   
and keep the bag." He thanked her, tossed another snack in his mouth, and stuffed the bag in his   
pocket.  
  
She again looked to Scooby, barely suppressing a giggle, and noticed Scooby, too, was chuckling   
in his own doggy way.  
  
But now, Garibaldi figured it was time to get down to serious business. "So, what's your name,   
honey?"  
  
"Daphne," she replied, "Daphne Blake."  
  
"And where are you from, Daphne Blake?"  
  
Daphne wasn't sure why she was being interrogated, but her natural respect for authorities caused   
her to respond meekly. "New York, originally," she answered. "But we've been traveling around a   
lot lately, solving mysteries and all. That's how we ended up here in Kansas."  
  
"Kansas?" Garibaldi snorted. "Solving mysteries?"  
  
"Yes, my friends and I solve mysteries for a living. We're Mystery, Inc."  
  
"Really, now?" Garibaldi scrunched out his lips like he does when he's not getting the answers he   
wants, then sighed. "Okay, Miss Blake, I've tried to be nice about this, but if you're going to play   
games with me, I can guarantee you're not going to like me very much. Now let's try this again. Who   
are you? How did you get in here? Where in the world did you get a dog and a duck? Where's this   
Freddy guy? And what are you doing here on Babylon 5?"  
  
"Babylon 5?" Daphne repeated. "What's Babylon 5?"  
  
"Babylon 5," Garibaldi said in his best tough guy voice. "Babylon 5 is where you are going to be   
spending a very long time. Only you're not going to like the accommodations."  
  
At this Garibaldi roughly grabbed Daphne by the arm. Scooby growled and would have jumped him,   
but Daphne suddenly yelled to him, "SCOOBY! RUN! FIND FREDDY!!"  
  
Scooby immediately sprang straight up. It seemed like he was running in mid-air for a moment, then   
he zoomed for the door, knocking Zack over on his way out.  
  
"Stop that dog!" Garibaldi shouted. Zack scrambled up and headed for the door, his PPG sidearm   
drawn, but Daphne stuck out her foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling yet again. By the time   
he got up again and reached the door, Scooby was long gone.  
  
"Young lady," Garibaldi growled at Daphne, "you are in a whole lot of trouble." He tapped the link   
on his wrist and reported the runaway dog to Security, and then reported the whole incident to   
Sheridan.  
  
Then he grabbed Daphne's arm firmly, but not enough to cause her pain, and led her to the door.  
  
"Where are we going?" Daphne asked.  
  
"To Security," Garibaldi answered. He paused and carefully looked both ways as he entered the   
hallway outside the docking bay. "I just hope we can get there without running into any Narns.   
That's all we need!"  
  
As they turned the first corner, they came face to face with a most startled Narn.  
  
"Oh, great!" Garibaldi muttered. "Zack! Grab that Narn!"  
  
Zack jumped to obey, but before he reached the Narn, the Narn was already on his knees, bowing   
towards Daphne, and chanting in some tongue Daphne could not understand. Of course, never   
having seen a Narn before, she was quite bewildered by his appearance as well.  
  
"Ah, c'mon, Zack!" Garibaldi said. "Get this guy out of here. Zack tried to lift the Narn up, but the   
Narn resisted and let out a shriek the likes of which even Garibaldi had never heard before. Within   
seconds, several more Narns approached the group, and when they saw Daphne, they all dropped   
to their knees and started bowing towards her.  
  
"What...what's going on?" Daphne said, like totally confused and just a little scared. "Why are these   
guys dressed like Lizard People? Is somebody filming a movie here or what?"  
  
"C'mon!" Garibaldi jerked on her arm. "We've got to get out of here quick!" He pulled her towards a   
door in the middle of the hallway, entered a security code, then slammed it and secured it once he   
and Daphne got inside. Zack and the other security guard were left outside, trying to keep the Narns   
from breaking through.  
  
Daphne now found herself in a very dimly lit corridor with Garibaldi pulling her as quickly as she   
could move. This was a maintenance corridor, inaccessible to civilians on the station. After several   
minutes of double-timing it down this corridor, Daphne jerked her arm loose from Garibaldi and told   
him, "I've got to stop and catch my breath!"  
  
"Okay," he said. "Two minutes."  
  
As Daphne bent over to catch her breath, she gave voice to her frustration and confusion. "What is   
going on here anyway? Why are we running? Why are you even arresting me? I didn't do   
anything!" Daphne said this in a pleading voice, the sincerity of which did not go unnoticed by   
Garibaldi.  
  
"Well, to begin with," Garibaldi said, "you were in a forbidden area, doing who knows what. You   
don't have any kind of I.D. or travel pass on you. And you brought aboard the station two   
contraband animals. How's that for starters?"  
  
They started to walk again, this time more slowly. Daphne's stiff upper lip resolve was starting to   
weaken. She said in a quivering voice, "I still don't have any idea what you're talking about. One   
minute, I'm in Kansas with my friends in some strange guy's barn, then the next thing I know I'm   
here, being arrested!" Daphne again jerked herself free from Garibaldi's grip. "Won't you please tell   
me what's going on? Please!"  
  
Normally, Garibaldi played Mr. Tough Guy Security Chief, but inside, he had a heart more tender   
than he would admit even to himself. And Daphne's pleading was reaching that heart. "Okay, fine!"   
Garibaldi said. What would you like to know?"  
  
"Let's start with, Where am I?" Daphne said. "You said this was Babylon 5. What's Babylon 5?"  
  
"You really don't know?" Garibaldi said. If she wasn't telling the truth, he figured she was one   
terrific actress. "C'mere. I'll show you my third favorite thing in the whole world." He led her over to   
a bulkhead wall and pushed a couple of buttons. A circular section of the wall slid away, revealing a   
portal, which in turn showed Daphne exactly where they were.  
  
Daphne looked out the window and gasped. "We're in space!" Indeed, her view revealed an infinite   
number of stars as far around as she could see. And down below them, sitting in empty space, was   
a planet. "But that's not Earth!"  
  
"No, it's Epsilon 3."  
  
Daphne almost dropped her duck. "What? It's not possible. It's just not possible. This is all a dream.   
No. No, you've hypnotized me. Yes, that's it. You've hypnotized me...or drugged me!" Daphne was   
starting to babble on, deliriously, tears streaming down her eyes.  
  
Garibaldi grabbed hold of her arms and shook her gently. "Get it grip on it, honey! It's okay!   
Everything's going to be okay!" Whoever this young girl was, she had gotten to him, and instead of   
perceiving her as a potential threat, he now saw her as someone who needed his help, his   
protection. "Now, take it easy, kid. Suppose we sit down right here and you tell me your whole   
story."  
  
For the next half hour, Daphne told Garibaldi everything. All about Mystery, Inc. And all about the   
strange occurrences in Kansas. All about the duck. It slowly clicked in his mind that she was talking   
about events that must have occurred hundreds of years ago. And yet, for some reason he didn't   
understand, he believed her. He didn't understand how it could happen. But he believed her.  
  
But now it was his turn to explain everything to her. He explained all about Babylon 5, about the   
alien races represented there, and about the station's mission. But it was obvious she hadn't   
grasped the most important point.  
  
After considering how he could break it to her, he led her over to an access panel, opened it, and   
switched on the monitor therein. "Computer, access latest ISN broadcast feature: "This Day in   
History".  
  
Immediately, the monitor displayed a picture of a reporter sitting in a typical newsroom set,   
speaking in a voice too low to be understood. Garibaldi adjusted the sound level and the speaker   
said, "On this day in 2010, President Dan Quayle declared war on Russia, then proceeded to   
accidently blow up Moscow, Idaho. He explained, 'Hey! It was a natural mistake!' On this day in   
2052, President John F. Kennedy III became the first president to set foot on Mars. On this day in..."  
  
Garibaldi closely watched Daphne's face as she listened to these historical facts. As her mouth   
dropped open and her eyes became wider than he would have thought possible, he shut off the   
monitor. Daphne dropped to her knees and slowly rocked too and fro, tightly clutching her duck,   
the tears flowing now, unabated.  
  
"Freddy..." she moaned. "Freddy..."  
  
  
  
  
  
Captain Sheridan could hardly believe what Garibaldi was telling him. He looked over to Ivanova for   
some kind of answer, but she just shrugged her shoulders (she does that a lot). "Okay, Chief,"   
Sheridan said into his com-link, "I'll meet you down in Security. I've got a couple of quick stops to   
make on the way, but I want to meet our mysterious 'visitor.' Oh, and call Dr. Franklin. If she really is   
from the past, she'll need to be examined for ancient diseases and such."  
  
As he walked towards the exit from C&C, Sheridan remembered to ask Ivanova one more thing.   
"Have you gotten ahold of Draal yet?"  
  
"No," answered Ivanova. "I'm having some difficulty there." In answer to Sheridan's quizzical look,   
she continued, "Some moron down there keeps answering the com-link and won't let me talk to   
Draal. I'll keep trying, though." As Sheridan left, Ivanova returned to her com station. "Here we go   
again," she said with a big sigh.  
  
As the communication signal connected, she spoke forcefully to whoever was at the other end,   
"This is Commander Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5 calling Epsilon 3. Draal, do you read me?"  
  
A voice crackled from her receiver. "Not Drall. Not Draal. No, no this one not Draal at all. Being Draal,   
this one would answer for Draal, but this one not being Draal, cannot answer for Draal. No, very   
bad, very bad that this one answer for Draal. This one ... "  
  
Susan could not take much more of this. She had already attempted to call four or five times and,   
each time, this babbling fool answered. "Listen!" she practically yelled into her speaker, causing   
everyone in C&C to look up at her. "Listen, you dumb ape! I don't care who you are! I want to talk to   
Draal! Please connect me to Draal! Understand!"  
  
The com-link was quiet for a few seconds, then the voice continued, "Draal not available. Draal very   
busy, very busy. Draal connected to Great Machine, yes, Great Machine needed, saving many, many   
persons. If Draal not saving many persons, great disaster, yes, very great disaster. History change,   
many persons die. Yes, very sad, very sad if history changed. This one assists Draal. This one will   
inform Draal, Babylon 5 calling, is needing Draal. This one is needing Draal. All needing Draal. Draal   
is very great, very busy. This one very busy, very sad, this one..."  
  
Susan couldn't stand it anymore. She switched off the com-link, muttered, "I need a drink!", and   
started for the exit. She stopped by Corwin's station and said, "If Draal should happen to return our   
call, patch it through to me. I'm off duty for the rest of the day."  
  
  
  
  
  
As soon as Daphne gave him the command, Scooby Doo ran down the corridors of this strange,   
unknown building just as fast as he could go. He had no idea where he was or where he was going.   
Nothing seemed familiar, nobody he passed even looked normal. He didn't pause long enough to   
check out anything closely, just kept running and sniffing the air, hoping to catch a whiff of Shaggy   
or one of the gang. The things he was seeing made him run all the faster--all sorts of strange people   
dressed in strange costumes. He thought perhaps he was in the place where all the mysterious   
costumed villains he had ever faced must have come from. There were people dressed like lizard   
men, people with clown hair, green people, orange people, people with big bumps on their   
foreheads, people wearing strange helmets, people with bony crests on their bald heads, people   
who looked like they had squids for faces. What did it all mean? Scooby's dog-sized brain was   
trying to process all this unusual information, while at the same time trying to avoid capture (and   
lots of people tried to capture him as he ran by), and trying to find something familiar--anything   
familiar! But through it all, he had one dominant thought on his mind, "Ri'm rungry!"  
  
Rounding the umpteenth corner, he slid to a stop just in time to avoid slamming into a lone man   
standing in the middle of a very narrow corridor. He stopped, confused, because he heard a very   
high pitched humming noise; in fact, to him it sounded like hummingbirds coming and going. His   
concentration returned to the man in front of him when the man spoke.  
  
"Well, what do you know! A dog! I haven't seen a dog since my daughter..." The man's voice choked   
up momentarily and he grasped the small object that hung on a chain around his neck. Then he   
composed himself and continued. "...since my daughter was very young." He reached out to pet   
Scooby, but Scooby flinched. This was the first semi-normal looking man Scooby had seen since   
he had left Daphne. The man had a friendly face with an ear-to-ear grin and a pleasant voice, but   
there was something about him that made Scooby hesitate.  
  
He sniffed the proffered hand. It smelled okay, so he let the man scratch his head briefly. "What do   
you want, dog?" the man asked.  
  
"Runh?" Scooby grunted.  
  
"What do you want?" the man repeated.  
  
Just then Scooby saw...something. Right there in the corner of his eye. He turned his head swiftly,   
but now it was gone. But there it was again over there. He kept swinging his head back and forth,   
trying to see whatever it was, but he just couldn't catch sight of anything clearly enough to make   
out a shape. And there was that humming noise.  
  
"Rhosts!" Scooby said, suddenly making a connection. He again took off running, as fast as he   
could.  
  
"Wait, dog! I can give you what you want!" the man shouted after him. "Tell me what you want!"  
  
"Routa rere!" Scooby muttered. He saw neon lights ahead and turned in that direction.  
  
  
  
  
  
Daphne had finally calmed down enough for Garibaldi to suggest that they continue on their way   
down to Security. As they entered a transport tube, Garibaldi muttered something about Narns and   
Daphne asked him what he had said.  
  
"Oh, I just hope we don't run into any more Narns," he said. "All we need is a good riot to really   
shake things up here."  
  
"You mean the Lizard People?" Daphne asked. "But you never did tell me what they were so   
excited about when they saw me. Don't you have any women here?"  
  
Garibaldi didn't get a chance to reply because, as soon as the tube doors opened, there was   
Ambassador G'Kar greeting him with a big smile on his face. And behind him were about ten other   
Narns.  
  
G'Kar smiled broadly and said, "I have never seen anything more beautiful!"  
  
Daphne could feel herself blushing even though she was very uneasy about her first encounter   
with real aliens. Then Garibaldi burst her bubble. "He was referring to the duck," he whispered to   
Daphne.  
  
"Oh, my!" Daphne gasped. "But...I don't understand..."  
  
Garibaldi saw that there were several Security officers keeping an eye on the Narns, with Zack   
among them. He called Zack over and instructed him to help keep the Narns back. Then he said to   
G'Kar, "C'mon now, G'Kar. You know the rules. No Narns allowed around birds."  
  
"But, Mr. Garibaldi," G'Kar protested. "There have never been any birds around Babylon 5 that I was   
aware of. You cannot deny us this opportunity to fulfill our sacred destiny!"  
  
By now, Daphne was getting pretty upset about the whole thing. Why were these alien Lizard   
People so interested in her duck? She was determined to find out and said as much. "Hold it!" she   
shouted. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on here!"  
  
G"Kar seized the opportunity, as well as Daphne's arm. "My dear," he said, carefully tugging her   
away from Garibaldi's control. "If you will allow me to escort you, I'd would love to explain   
everything to you."  
  
The other Narns were getting visibly excited and were inching their way towards Daphne. It was   
getting to the point that Garibaldi knew things would get out of control if he didn't take decisive   
action--and soon! "Okay!" he shouted, shoving his way between G'Kar and Daphne. "That's it!   
G'Kar, get your people back or I swear I'll throw all of you in the brig!"  
  
G'Kar ignored Garibaldi and continued speaking to Daphne. "My dear," he said smoothly, "If I might   
have your consent, I'm quite sure I can explain everything to your satisfaction. And," he added   
softly, "to our satisfaction, as well."  
  
Daphne looked to Garibaldi for some compromise. She really wanted to understand what was going   
on, but for some reason was distrustful of this alien being. After a more formal introduction,   
Garibaldi suggested that G'Kar accompany them to Security, but that his people stay well back, with   
Zack and the other Security guards between the Narns and Daphne.  
  
"Very well," G'Kar nodded in agreement. As they started down the corridor, G'Kar said, "My dear,   
have you never heard the legend of 'The Great Bird of the Galaxy'?"  
  
"The what?" Daphne asked.  
  
"For untold centuries," G'Kar began, "there were billions upon billions of birds on the Narn   
homeworld, and Narns gave them little heed. But then, about 300 years ago, a great prophet rose up   
with teachings that reached the hearts and minds of many Narns. This prophet, G'Rod, taught that   
birds are sacred creatures. And G'Rod taught that there was one bird in particular--he called it 'The   
Great Bird of the Galaxy'--that held the secret of eternal blessings. The Narns have been searching   
for that Bird for all these centuries since. I must tell you, to commune with any bird is one of our   
most sacred traditions, but to have the opportunity to actually discover 'The Great Bird of the   
Galaxy' is just beyond all expectations. If I might just touch your bird..." G'Kar was licking his lips   
with anticipation.  
  
Daphne was always taught to respect the beliefs and traditions of others, but she wasn't quite sure   
what to make of this alien creature's request. She looked to Garibaldi for some sign of guidance.  
  
Garibaldi leaned close to Daphne's ear and whispered, "Ask him how they commune with birds."  
  
Daphne was puzzled, but did as instructed.  
  
G'Kar glared at Garibaldi, then tried to sound reassuring to Daphne. "G'Rod taught that in order to   
fully receive the blessings that might come from communing with a bird, one must actually become   
'one' with the bird. That is accomplished through a most sacred ceremony, one that is not to be   
discussed with outsiders. Now, my dear Miss Blake, if I may please just touch your bird. I can   
assure you that I will treat it with the utmost respect."  
  
Again, with a sly grin, Garibaldi repeated, "Ask him how they commune with birds." And again,   
Daphne repeated the question.  
  
G'Kar, sensing failure, thought carefully, then replied, "As I said, I may not discuss the sacred   
traditions surrounding this ceremony."  
  
"THEY EAT THEM!" Garibaldi blurted out, tired of G'Kar's attempted duplicity. "They eat every bird   
they can find!"  
  
Horrified, Daphne gasped, clutched her duck even tighter, and shot an angry look at G'Kar.  
  
Garibaldi continued. "They ate every last bird on the Narn homeworld and every bird they could find   
on every world they've colonized or conquered. And, if given the opportunity, they would eat every   
bird on every other planet they visit. That's why Narns are not allowed in large numbers on any   
world they don't control. Even then, they're watched very closely. On Earth, for instance, birds are   
very nearly extinct, which is also why they're restricted from import off-planet. Having a bird here on   
Babylon 5, with all the Narns we have aboard here, is like throwing meat to a hungry lion."  
  
As if Daphne wasn't uneasy enough about the Narns before, she was now quite disgusted with   
them all. She moved as far away from G'Kar as she could get, holding her duck as tightly as she   
could.  
  
G'Kar attempted to continue the conversation, saying coldly. "My dear, if I remember correctly from   
my studies of Earth culture, I believe humans used to consume birds in very great number. Is that   
not correct?"  
  
"That's different!" Daphne protested. She then tried to think of some reasonable argument to   
defend her statement, but was saved from the embarrassment by Garibaldi's intervention.  
  
"You know, G'Kar," Garibaldi said, "Miss Blake here is kind of a stowaway on the station. She hasn't   
yet been checked out by the Medics. And where she's from, there're all kinds of exotic diseases that   
the Narns probably don't have any immunity to. You get what I'm saying?" Garibaldi didn't want to   
give away the details of Daphne's appearance on Babylon 5, he just wanted to put a little fear into   
G'Kar.  
  
G'Kar got the hint and backed off far enough to join the rest of his people standing nearby..   
"Perhaps we can continue this conversation at a more convenient time," he said.  
  
By the time they reached Security, there were about twenty Narns pacing around in the hallway   
outside.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ambassador Londo Mollari leaned back in his chair, stared at his drink for a moment, then   
swallowed it in one gulp. His recent dealings with Mr. Morden were weighing heavily on his mind.   
He had no idea things would turn out as badly as they had, and he was having serious misgivings   
about his involvement in these matters. But what could he do about it? For now, he did what he   
always did when he didn't know what else to do--he went to the Zocalo to try to get drunk enough to   
forget his troubles. Of course, that never worked, but he kept on trying.  
  
"Londo! Londo!" came a voice he quickly recognized as that of his assistant, Vir. "Oh, there you are   
Londo. I've been looking all over for you."  
  
"And you still don't know me well enough to know where I'd be?" Londo asked. Sometimes he   
wondered if Vir was really as dense as he acted, or if he secretly laughed at all those who thought   
so little of him. "What is it now, Vir? I'm a very busy man."  
  
"We must go over the protocol for the reception tomorrow," Vir stated. "Everyone is so intrigued   
about this mysterious new ambassador--you'd think he was as important as the Vorlons, or   
something."  
  
"Yes, yes, of course we must," Londo stated, irritated. He was not at all impressed by all this   
conjecture about the new alien ambassador. "But not right now."  
  
"But Londo, if we don't get prepared now, you know you'll be too hung over--" Vir suddenly   
paused, knowing he'd said something he shouldn't have. "Uh, I mean, you'll be much too busy   
later."  
  
Londo looked at his young assistant. He sincerely cared for this silly little man, but sometimes he   
just wanted to strangle him despite his good natured friendliness. "Oh, very well, Vir. Tell me, what   
is this ambassador's name?"  
  
"No one knows!" Vir stated, enthusiastically. "No one knows what they look like, or where they're   
from, or what they want. All we know is the name of their race."  
  
"And what was that again?" Londo asked. "Straw-berry, or some such?"  
  
"No, no, no!" Vir shook his head, which also caused him to shake all over. "They're called the   
Stra'zinski. And you know what the latest news is?" Vir waited for Londo to respond, but soon   
realized he wasn't going to, so he continued. "They say they're a mammalian race. And you know   
what else?" Vir leaned closer to Londo and spoke very low. "Some are saying that they walk on all   
fours."  
  
"You don't say!" Londo feigned surprise and Vir fell for it. But before Vir could continue, Londo cut   
him off. "Now, Vir, I want you to do something very important for me. I want you to go research all   
the protocol until you discover how it is we are to greet this four-legged, furry ambassador. Do we   
get down on all fours ourselves? Or do we expect him to come up to our level?" Vir was obviously   
thinking very deeply about this matter. "Go now, Vir! We must know these things, mustn't we?"  
  
"Oh yes, Londo!" Vir said excitedly, getting up to leave. "Don't worry--I'll find the answer for you in   
plenty of time to prepare you for the reception tomorrow!"  
  
"Yes, yes, Vir, most important," Londo said as Vir rushed out of the bar. "Most important." Londo   
turned to catch the waitress' eye. "Another drink!" he called across the noisy bar.  
  
It was about three drinks later that Scooby Doo walked into the Zocalo.  
  
Scooby stuck his head through the doorway of this neon-lit, noisy bar and cautiously looked all   
around. Although there were many strange looking people in stranger looking costumes, he did not   
see anyone who resembled the officers who had been chasing him, so he figured it was safe to go   
on in. Scooby, of course, did not yet know he was in the future or that these strange people really   
were alien beings--he probably wouldn't have understood even if someone did tell him. Actually, he   
chose this place because he smelled food and he thought that if he would find Shaggy anywhere, it   
would be where there was food. So he sauntered on in, looking for a friendly face.  
  
By now, Londo had had quite a few drinks. And, although he could tolerate quite a few more before   
passing out, he had reached a stage where the extraordinary seemed quite ordinary to him. So   
when he saw Scooby prance by, he vaguely recalled what Vir had been telling him about this new   
ambassador. So naturally, he put two and two together--and got five.  
  
"Come, my friend!" he said to Scooby. "Come! Join me! I am very pleased to meet you."  
  
"Runh?" Scooby said.  
  
Londo practically pulled him to his table. Then Londo motioned for him to sit in one of the chairs,   
but Scooby preferred to just sit on the floor. He was plenty tall to see over the table anyway.  
  
"So! You are the new ambassador, yes?" Londo said, motioning for the waitress. "What did you say   
your name was?"  
  
"Rooby Roo!" said Scooby, somewhat relieved to find a friendly face--even if the face did have a   
funny hair-do.  
  
"Very good!" Londo said, reaching out a hand, then hesitating for a moment as he tried to   
remember what was said earlier about protocol and all that. But Scooby reached out his paw and   
shook Londo's hand, so Londo was quite relieved that he hadn't caused an incident. "I am Londo   
Mollari of the Centauri Republic!" Londo said proudly. "I am very pleased to meet you!"  
  
By now the waitress was at the table. She glanced sideways at Scooby for a moment, curiously   
trying to remember if she'd encountered his race before, but couldn't, so she asked Londo what   
he'd like now.  
  
"A bottle of your best Centauri Ale for my great friend here!" Londo requested.  
  
Scooby protested immediately, "Ro ralcohol!"  
  
Londo waved the waitress away and leaned closer to Scooby. "It's quite all right, my friend, there is   
no alcohol in Centauri Ale." Of course, what Londo failed to mention was that, even though there   
was indeed no alcohol in Centauri Ale, it still was intoxicating to many races. "Won't you please join   
me?"  
  
"Rokay," Scooby answered. What he really wanted was a big fat cheeseburger, but he was thirsty   
also, so he figured he'd start out with whatever he was offered. Besides, he figured this Centauri Ale   
must be like Ginger Ale, and he loved Ginger Ale.  
  
The waitress returned with the bottle and set it between the two new friends. She brought a new   
glass for Londo, but also brought a bowl for Scooby. Obviously, she had had much experience   
serving various alien races and recognized their needs without having to be told.  
  
Londo poured out a glassful for himself, then filled Scooby's bowl to overflowing.  
  
"Ranks!" Scooby said, then slurped down the whole bowlful of Ale so quickly even Londo looked   
on in amazement.  
  
"Another?" Londo asked.  
  
"Rure!" Scooby said. Whatever this Centauri Ale was, he liked it. Not at all like Ginger Ale, but still it   
tasted pretty good to Scooby.  
  
So, for the next half hour or so, Londo and Scooby sucked up three bottles of the best Centauri Ale   
the Zocalo had to offer. Londo used this opportunity to tell Scooby all about his problems, and   
Scooby tried his best to pay attention, but he really didn't understand a lot of what was being said.   
By now, the Ale was starting to have some effect on Scooby. His canine stomach could handle   
most anything, but he had never encountered this stuff before. And he had drank about a half   
gallon of the stuff. So he was feeling a little light headed and, although he didn't know it, he was   
quite inebriated, plus he had to go do his dog business really, really bad.  
  
All of this goes towards excusing what it was he did shortly after Commander Susan Ivanova   
walked into the Zocalo.  
  
  
  
  
  
As Captain John Sheridan walked down the hallway outside Security, he wondered why so many   
Narns were standing around there. He counted at least thirty of them, including G'Kar himself. He   
started to ask G'Kar about it, but the ambassador hadn't noticed him as yet, and G'Kar was   
apparently deep in conversation with several other Narns round about him. So Sheridan just let it   
slide for now and strode through the doors of Security, past the three armed guards who were   
obviously keeping an eye on the Narns, and on into the main interrogation area where he was quite   
surprised to hear laughter, led by Michael Garibaldi.  
  
There in the main interrogation room was the Security Chief with the attractive young woman whom   
Sheridan assumed was the visitor from the past. Her purple mini-skirt was his biggest clue. She and   
Garibaldi were both holding coffee cups, and seemed to be sharing some kind of joke.  
  
"And what about the one..." Garibaldi was saying, "the one where Groucho played   
Captain...Captain...Sprawling?"  
  
"Captain Spaulding," Daphne corrected him.  
  
"Yeah--Captain Spaulding...'Hooray for Captain Spaulding'!" Garibaldi started laughing again. "And   
Groucho says, 'I shot an elephant this morning in my pajamas. What he was doing in my pajamas,   
I'll never know!"  
  
Now Daphne joined in the laughter. Sheridan watched them for a moment from across the room,   
then signaled Garibaldi to come over to him.  
  
"So, Chief," Sheridan began, "I take it you've got whatever information you need from our visitor?"  
  
"What?" said Garibaldi. "Oh, yeah! Turns out Daphne here is quite an expert on 20th century   
cartoons and movies. She even knows all about 'Captain Planet!'"  
  
Sheridan gave Garibaldi a frustrated kind of scowl. "You're supposed to be interrogating her and,   
instead, you're asking her about cartoons?"  
  
"Well," Garibaldi swallowed hard. "Groucho wasn't a cartoon...exactly."  
  
Sheridan turned to look at Daphne, who smiled up at him from her seat. Sheridan nodded to her   
politely and went over to introduce himself.  
  
"I'm Captain John Sheridan," he announced, somewhat proudly, Daphne thought.  
  
"Daphne Blake," she responded, extending a hand, which action nearly caused the duck to fall out   
of her lap. "Pleased to meet you."  
  
"I hear you've had quite an adventure getting here," Sheridan said, trying to keep up the light mood   
that seemed to be prevalent. "I'd be really interested in hearing how you managed to get way out   
here from 20th Century Earth."  
  
"I'd be interested in knowing that, myself," Daphne responded. She looked closely in Sheridan's   
eyes--she always considered herself a good judge of character, and to her, Sheridan's eyes   
showed a sincere, good-hearted man, somewhat full of himself, but she figured that came with   
being a commander of a large station such as this. "I really have no idea how we got here."  
  
"'We' being..." Sheridan asked, forgetting for a moment the second reported intruder.  
  
'Scooby Doo," she answered. "My dog. Actually, he's not mine, he's Shaggy's, but he's been with   
us for so long we tend to think of him as one of the gang."  
  
"And what does your 'gang' do, Miss Blake?" Sheridan asked, trying to be polite, but hoping to get   
some information out of her. He could have just asked Garibaldi about what he'd learned, but he   
always liked to get information first hand whenever he could.  
  
"We solve mysteries," she announced proudly. "We go around the country in the Mystery   
Machine--that's our old van actually--and we find people in trouble and help them out. Usually it   
seems like the bad guys disguise themselves as some sort of monster to scare their victims, but we   
see right through that every time. That's why I was so confused when we got here because it   
looked like everyone was wearing masks and I just couldn't figure out what was going on. And I just   
miss my friends so much and wish you could find Scooby."  
  
Sheridan listened very closely and tried really hard to decipher what she was saying. He knew she   
was speaking English, but he had no idea what she was talking about. He turned to Garidbaldi as if   
to ask for a translation, but the Security Chief just shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I'm sure our people are doing everything they can to find your friend," Sheridan replied, trying to   
reassure her. "I don't believe we've ever had a dog here, so he shouldn't be too hard to find."   
Sheridan again looked at Garibaldi, this time getting a response from him.  
  
"We've got everyone out looking for him," he answered.  
  
Tears began to well up in Daphne's eyes. She asked Garibaldi for her purse back so that she could   
find a tissue, so he returned it to her. "I just want to go home," Daphne sobbed.  
  
"Excuse us a moment," Sheridan said, again signaling Garibaldi to join him. They walked over to   
the far corner of the room where they could speak privately. "Do you believe her story, then?"   
Sheridan asked.  
  
"I honestly don't think she's lying--she's convinced she's from the 20th Century," Garibaldi   
answered. "She certainly has a tremendous knowledge of the movies of the period--she's corrected   
me on a number of points, and I consider myself an expert on the subject."  
  
"Have you thought about having Talia scan her?" Sheridan asked.  
  
"Yeah, but Talia's off-station right now," Garibaldi answered.  
  
They both looked over at Daphne. She was staring off into space, stroking the neck of her duck,   
and sipping on her coffee. Both men truly felt sympathetic towards her, Garibaldi especially so.   
When they had finished their conversation, they rejoined Daphne.  
  
"Well then," Sheridan said, "it sounds like you've had quite an experience and I'd be most pleased   
to hear more about it. Perhaps you could join us tomorrow at the reception for the new   
ambassador. I'm sure we'll find your dog by then." She smiled that special smile that always got to   
Freddy, and got an affirmative nod in return. "So then, until tomorrow..."  
  
He then turned to Garibaldi and said, "I have to go meet Ambassador Delenn. She's been here   
longer than me, but it seems that now she wants a tour of the station." As he strode toward the   
door, he turned, as if remembering something important that he wanted to ask her. "If you don't   
mind my asking," he said politely, "why do you have a duck?"  
  
"What?" Daphne said, as if she didn't understand the question. She had grown so accustomed to   
having the duck in her lap that she didn't even notice it was there most of the time.  
  
"The duck," Sheridan repeated. "Why a duck?"  
  
"Hah!" Garibaldi snorted, coffee coming right out his nose. Both Sheridan and Daphne looked at   
him in wonder. As he wiped his nose on his sleeve, it was obvious he was trying to hold back   
laughter, but finally he couldn't anymore. "Go ahead, Daphne!" he said, trying to control himself.   
"Tell him! Tell him!"  
  
Daphne shook her head in confusion. "Tell him...?"  
  
"Yeah!" Garibaldi continued, barely able to contain himself. "Tell him, vy a duck, vy not a chicken?"  
  
At that, recognition blossomed on Daphne's face. "Oh!" she exclaimed, putting her hand up to her   
mouth as she started to giggle. "Oh my!"  
  
Upon seeing the look of total amusement on Daphne's face, Garibaldi lost it completely. He was   
laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his cheeks. Daphne, too, was now doubled over   
with laughter.  
  
Sheridan had no idea what the joke was about. He looked over to the other two Security guards in   
the room, but it was clear they, too, were not in on the joke. He thought about asking Garibaldi to   
explain it to him, but the two were obviously sharing some private joke that he probably wouldn't   
understand even if it were explained to him. As he walked out of Security, he just shook his head   
slowly from side to side. He could hear Garibaldi trying to speak through his laughter. Something   
about a chicken and a viaduct, Sheridan thought he heard him say.  
  
Just as Sheridan entered the hallway, Dr. Stephen Franklin appeared, along with a nurse from   
Medlab. The two men greeted each other briefly, then Dr. Franklin went on into Security as Sheridan   
pushed his way through the crowd of at least forty Narns.  
  
When Dr. Franklin found his way to Garibaldi and Daphne, they were still trying to compose   
themselves. "What's up?" Franklin asked.  
  
"Oh my!" Garibaldi said while expelling a great amount of breath. "I'll explain it to you sometime."  
  
When they were sufficiently done giggling, Dr. Franklin introduced himself to Daphne. "I'm Dr.   
Stephen Franklin." Daphne shook his hand politely. Turning towards his nurse, he added. "And this   
is my nurse, H'loo."  
  
"Daphne Blake. Pleased to meet you," Daphne said.  
  
"I've heard some wild story that you're actually from the 20th Century," Dr. Franklin said. "True?"  
  
Daphne nodded. "Afraid so."  
  
"Well, it occurs to us," Franklin said as he opened his medical kit, "if you're really from the past,   
you're probably full of all kinds of germs that we wouldn't want to spread around this station. No   
offense, but we've overcome a lot of diseases in the past two hundred years that we don't want   
springing up again. Plus, there's quite a few new diseases that came about from alien contact that   
you wouldn't have an immunity to. I'm sure you understand."  
  
Daphne's eyes widened perceptibly as Franklin began to pull things out of his kit. "You mean...?"   
she asked.  
  
"Yep!" Franklin said. "Immunization time!"  
  
"But, but..." Daphne stammered, "but I'm afraid of needles."  
  
"It's okay," Franklin said. He started to roll up Daphne's sleeve. "We've got ways so that you won't   
feel any pain at all."  
  
Daphne started shuddering. "It's not the pain", Daphne said, her breathing becoming increasingly   
faster. "It's the...the.." At that, the nurse pulled out an incredibly long needle. "Need..need...needle!"   
Daphne barely stuttered it out.  
  
"You have a phobia for needles?" Franklin asked.  
  
But before he could get an answer, Daphne fainted dead away. She started to fall away from him   
and Franklin desperately reached out to catch her, but all he managed to grab was the shoulder of   
her dress. Which promptly ripped away. Daphne fell right off the chair onto the floor, leaving   
Franklin holding the sleeve and a generous portion of the shoulder section of her dress, which he   
absent-mindedly stuffed into a pocket as he and his nurse rushed to help Daphne.  
  
The duck, of course, panicked, flapping and quacking wildly as she skittered around the room.   
Garibaldi and the other two Security guards tried to capture her, but to no avail. They finally trapped   
her under the table and Garibaldi made his men sit there, containing the duck, until Daphne   
recovered.  
  
When Daphne finally came around, Dr. Franklin was incredibly apologetic. He must have said, "I'm   
sorry" a dozen times before Daphne was able to forgive him.  
  
"Maybe we'd better go down to Medlab," Franklin suggested. "We have other ways to do this that   
don't involve needles."  
  
That sounded like a better plan to Daphne. She barely noticed her torn dress; fortunately the thick   
collar piece remanined, serving to preserve her modesty. When she was able to walk again, she   
gathered up her duck and, escorted by Franklin and his nurse, Garibaldi, and the two security   
guards, they proceeded to exit Security for the trip to Medlab. Outside were about fifty Narns, who   
suddenly came to attention when Daphne and her duck appeared.  
  
As soon as Garibaldi saw the large group of Narns, he regretted just walking out into the midst of   
them. He called over the other three Security guards that were nearby and they all formed a wedge   
with Daphne in the middle.  
  
Daphne, overwhelmed by the large number of (to her) fearsome looking alien creatures, let out a   
gasp when one got too close. "Oh my," she said. "Are you sure this is safe?"  
  
"Of course," Garibaldi said, trying to reassure her--as well as himself. "We'll be in Medlab in no   
time."  
  
Needless to say, they never made it.  
  
  
  
  
  
Susan Ivanova entered the Zocalo and headed straight for the bar. She had intended to have a drink   
or two--just to relax--then head back to her quarters. But almost as soon as she entered, Londo   
spotted her and called out to her. Normally, Ivanova would have brushed off Londo as quickly as   
she could, but today was different. He had an earth dog with him at his table.  
  
"Well, isn't this cozy," Ivanova said, walking up to Londo's table. Speaking to Scooby, she said,   
"Everyone on the station is looking for you, and here you are having a drink with Londo. Figures."  
  
"Ah!" Londo said. "Commander Ivanova! You have met my friend then?"  
  
"No, Londo," she answered. "I haven't had the opportunity yet."  
  
"Then let me present the Most Honorable Scooby Doo," Londo began with great aplomb,   
"Ambassador of the...of the..." Londo searched for the right name, but just couldn't come up with it.   
It didn't matter because Ivanova cut him short anyway.  
  
"Londo," she said, tilting her head slightly downward, placing one hand on her forehead as if she   
had a headache, and the other hand on the back of her hip. "Londo, this...is a dog."  
  
"Dog?" he asked, totally unfamiliar with the term. "Dog? What is this dog?"  
  
"A dog," Ivanova explained, "is an Earth animal. They used to be common throughout the Earth, but   
now they're nearly extinct."  
  
"Runh?!?" Scooby grunted, not quite certain he had heard her right through the fog in his head.  
  
"An animal!" Londo exclaimed. "This is not possible! I've been carrying on quite a conversation   
with him for...," (he couldn't quite remember how long he'd been with Scooby), "for a long time   
now!"  
  
"I'm sure you have, Londo," Ivanova said, looking directly at him. "But I can assure you, even   
though I've never seen a dog in person, this is indeed such an animal. And he's managed to elude   
our entire Security force most of the day now."  
  
Londo looked over at Scooby and Scooby gave him a broad smile. "A dog, you say? But how is   
this possible? I tell you, he and I have been discussing the nature of the universe. No animal could   
understand such concepts, much less be so conversant in them!"  
  
Ivanova merely shook her head. She could see all the empty bottles spread about on the table.   
"Londo," she said, "I have to take your friend here down to Security." Turning again to Scooby, she   
said, "You'd like to go for a walk, wouldn't you, boy?"  
  
Actually that sounded like a very good idea to Scooby. After drinking several bowls full of Centauri   
Ale, he really, really needed to go for a walk. So he was all for going outside with this friendly   
looking lady. Unfortunately, he still didn't realize there was no "outside" here on Babylon 5. So   
when he stood right up and headed for the door, this caught Ivanova quite by surprise and she   
found herself hurrying after him.  
  
"Wait!" Londo called after them. "I will go with my friend!"  
  
So it was that Ivanova, Scooby, and Londo all walked down the hallways toward the nearest   
transport tube. Scooby, of course, had to sniff out everything along the way until Ivanova grabbed   
him by the collar in order to keep him on course. Along the way, they passed a number of people,   
human and alien, who were all quite surprised to see such an unusual creature. Scooby tried his   
best to sniff each passing person, but Ivanova now had quite a tight grip on his collar.  
  
When they reached the tube door, the three of them waited briefly until a car arrived. A couple of   
Drazis tried to get on with them, but Ivanova stopped them, saying, "Security problem."  
  
As they began the long transport tube ride down to Security, Londo continued his argument   
concerning Scooby's sentience. Ivanova was equally adamant that no animal could be as intelligent   
as Londo imagined.  
  
Scooby, quite oblivious to the whole conversation, was much more concerned with his own   
situation. The ride in the transport tube only added to the fogginess of his mind. He, like all dogs,   
was pretty much single-minded anyway as far as his attention and concentration were concerned,   
and he was painfully aware of only one thing at the moment. He needed to find somewhere to   
relieve himself--now! He glanced all around him, but saw nothing like fire hydrant or a...tree? Or did   
he? In his slightly inebriated state, combined with the dizziness from the movement of the transport   
tube, he saw something tall and dark right beside him.  
  
Ivanova, growing very weary of this ridiculous conversation with Londo, was about to tell him   
something that she knew she'd regret later, but before she could get the words out, she felt   
something warm and wet on her leg. Turning her head very slowly in the direction of Scooby, she   
saw a sight she had never seen before, but instantly recognized. Londo observed that her face   
turned a bright red, so red he didn't think it possible. She began breathing very deep, very slow.   
And without saying anything, she reached for her PPG sidearm.  
  
  
  
  
  
Garibaldi was silently counting his blessings as he finally caught sight of the transport tube door   
just ahead. The Narns had been amazingly peaceable during the trip down the hallway. And he was   
certain that, once in the tube, everything would be just fine.  
  
But just as he reached out to touch the call button, the light signaling the arrival of the tube car   
sounded. And he heard another sound that was unmistakable to him: the slight whirr of a personal   
sidearm being charged up. Instantly, he reached for his own sidearm, and yelled, "Everyone down!"  
  
Many of those in the vicinity, used to following commands without thinking, dived to the floor. But   
Daphne, "danger-prone Daphne" as the gang called her, merely stood there with a confused look.   
The tube doors opened, and Garibaldi could not believe what he was seeing!  
  
Ivanova, cursing loudly, had her PPG drawn and charged up and was attempting to point it at a very   
large dog who was crouched in the corner with his paws over his head. Only the presence of Londo   
Mollari, doing his best to restrain Ivanova, had prevented Scooby Doo from getting blasted by an   
incredibly powerful energy charge.  
  
Garibaldi, not one easily taken aback, never-the-less stood there in disbelief for at least ten seconds   
before finally being noticed by Londo. "Well!" Londo cried out. "Are you going to help me before we   
are all killed?"  
  
That was enough to finally shake Garibaldi free of his stupor so that he could react. He jumped in   
the car and tried to help Londo disarm Ivanova. By this time, all three human occupants of the car   
were screaming loudly. The crowd outside the door, most of them still on the ground, strained their   
necks to see what was going on in there.  
  
Daphne took a couple of steps closer and finally noticed Scooby. When she did, she let out a cry of   
joy! "Scooby!" she yelled.  
  
"Runh?" Scooby said, looking up to see where that familiar voice had come from. When he saw   
Daphne, he instantly bounded out of the transport tube and pounced right on top of her, knocking   
her completely off her feet, and began licking her all over her face. "Raphne!" he said, joyfully.  
  
Of course, when Scooby knocked Daphne over, the duck went flying out of her grasp. The sixty   
Narns present collectively held their breath. The duck, not at all happy about being replaced by   
Scooby, began quacking furiously and flapping wildly. Though not a good flier, she managed to   
land right on top of Scooby's head. Then she gave Scooby the biggest, hardest peck she could   
muster. Scooby yelped with pain, jumping straight up several feet in the air. Once again, the duck   
was knocked flying out of control. And this time, the Narns saw their opportunity.  
  
And then, as they say in France, all hell broke loose.  
  
  
  
  
  
John Sheridan had only met with Delenn a few times since he arrived on Babylon 5, and they were   
all formal occasions. So he was quite pleased to be able to finally meet her on an informal basis.   
Why she wanted a tour of the station at this point was baffling to him since she had been there on   
Babylon 5 almost since the beginning. He found her to be pleasant company, though he still wasn't   
quite sure what to make of this Minbari with the human hair. He discovered she was very interested   
in all things human, so when she found out that a visitor from 20th century Earth was miraculously   
found aboard the station, she could hardly contain her excitement and insisted on meeting her.  
  
So that is how Captain Sheridan found himself to be walking towards Security on that fateful   
afternoon. As Daphne had already noted, Delenn also discovered that Sheridan was somewhat full   
of himself, but Delenn found it to be quite charming. Most humans, she concluded long ago, were   
quite full of themselves.  
  
As they walked, Delenn had been asking Sheridan about his new command and Sheridan had been   
telling her how he liked to run things.  
  
"Like an iron hand with a velvet glove!" is how Sheridan had described it. He liked to give his   
people every opportunity to perform up to his standards, but if they didn't, the glove came off!  
  
"I like to know everything that is going on at any given time," Sheridan said, as they neared the final   
turn in the hallway leading to Security. "I feel that a good commander should be on top of   
everything. After all, he's the one who gets blamed if things go wrong, so he should have total   
control at all times."  
  
Delenn started to ask him how he felt about delegating authority, but did not get the chance,   
because just as they started to turn the corner, something very large came around that corner at   
ramming speed.  
  
Sheridan would not have had time to move out of the way even if he had seen Scooby coming. As if   
was, Scooby plowed right into him, sending Sheridan flying a good ten feet down the hallway, and   
landing him right on his behind. As he sat there trying to catch his breath, he recognized that it was   
a dog that had knocked him over. Surely this was the dog that had evaded capture all day (Ivanova   
had neglected to report in that she had found the dog), and made a vain attempt to grab for him. But   
Scooby, yelping in pain, had no intention of being caught right now. As the dog evaded his grasp,   
Sheridan could have sworn he heard the dog say he was sorry! Within two heartbeats, the dog had   
disappeared around another corner further down the hallway.  
  
Delenn rushed over to help Sheridan to his feet, but before he could rise half way, he was nearly   
knocked over again, this time by an enraged Ivanova! She still had her sidearm drawn and pointed   
in the direction Scooby had run. She was cursing loudly and making it plain that she wanted to kill   
that dog. She ran by so fast that she did not even notice Sheridan and Delenn. Sheridan tried to yell   
after her to stop, but found that his voice still hadn't returned. He wouldn't have succeeded in   
finishing his command anyway, because he heard another voice shouting from around the corner   
behind him.  
  
This time it was Garibaldi, yelling at Ivanova, trying to get her to stop. He had a very noticeable black   
eye. With him were three Security officers. "Come on, Susan!" Garibaldi called. "You know you can't   
shoot that dog!" He did not even pause when he saw Sheridan, just said something like, "We found   
the dog, Captain!", then took off in pursuit of Ivanova.  
  
Sheridan started to say something to Garibaldi, but again had no opportunity because around the   
corner came a fighting mad...duck! The duck flapping wildly, managed to get airborne for only a few   
feet at a time. It quacked loudly as it hustled by, ignoring the humans, intent only on punishing that   
dog that had so upset it.  
  
Sheridan could only stare in amazement, mouth wide open, as the duck turned the corner. He   
started to turn towards Delenn, but heard the footsteps of a large group of people. This turned out   
to be the Narns in hot pursuit of the duck. Before he could be bowled over again, he grabbed   
Delenn and pressed her up against the wall out of harm's way.  
  
Delenn realized this was just a protective gesture on the part of Sheridan, but she found it   
quite...interesting. Her hands rested on his chest and she could feel his heart, beating rapidly. To   
her surprise, she noticed her own heartbeat had increased significantly. She gazed into Sheridan's   
face, taking note of all the little details, smelling the cologne he wore. She tried to look into his eyes,   
but he was quite oblivious to her, concentrating entirely on watching the Narns as they stormed   
past them. Sheridan counted at least 70 Narns--it took a full two minutes for them all to pass.  
  
When Sheridan saw what he thought was the last Narn go by, he looked back the way they had   
come, only to see one more Narn bringing up the rear, but he was not alone, for a young woman   
was giving him chase, mercilessly pounding on him with her purse. She was shouting at the   
unfortunate Narn. "Leave my duck alone, you awful Lizard People!" she kept saying. Sheridan   
instantly recognized Daphne, and again began to say something, but he couldn't help but notice   
that one sleeve and a large part of the shoulder of her dress was missing.  
  
Sheridan wondered momentarily what had happened to Daphne's dress, but he didn't have to wait   
long for the answer, for following shortly behind her came Dr. Franklin and a nurse. Franklin was   
waving the missing sleeve in his hand and calling out, "Wait, Daphne, I won't hurt you! Please come   
back!"  
  
This really caused Sheridan's jaw to drop. Dr. Franklin saw him, paused for only a moment as he   
guiltily stuffed the sleeve in his pocket and said, "I can explain this. Really. Just...not right now."   
Then Franklin, too, disappeared around the next corner.  
  
Sheridan turned around to look at the corner, fully expecting someone else to come around. But,   
after ten seconds or so, he decided the parade was over and cautiously moved to where he could   
peer around that fateful corner. In so doing, he almost collided with Londo, who had the biggest   
smile on his face that Sheridan could imagine a person having, even though his lip was split and   
bleeding. Londo was practically bursting with delight, nearly bouncing, clapping his hands   
together. As soon as he saw Sheridan, Londo gave him a big hug and joyfully said, "Oh! Thank you,   
Captain Sheridan! I am so delighted that you have taken over this station. It was never this much fun   
under that other fellow!" Londo hugged Delenn also, then he, too, pranced out of sight.  
  
Sheridan, totally dumbfounded, took a tentative step towards the corner. He stretched his neck as   
far as he possibly could, and upon hearing nothing, took another step. Finally, one small step at a   
time, he reached the corner and peered around it. No one was in sight. He let out a deep breath of   
relief, then noticed his jacket was out of alignment. He straightened it up, then turned to face   
Delenn, trying to achieve a realistic looking smile.  
  
"Ummm," he said, "where were we?"  
  
Delenn had a coy smile on her face as she answered dryly, "I believe you were telling me about how   
you like to have everything totally under control."  
  
At that moment, Sheridan concluded that he probably wasn't going to like this person very much.  
  
They walked silently towards the transport tube which had recently carried Scooby. "Look,"   
Sheridan said, finding an out. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave you now--I just remembered something   
important I need to take care of."  
  
Delenn noted that he wasn't a very effective liar, but she let him have his escape. "Very well," she   
said. "Perhaps we can meet your visitors tomorrow at the reception."  
  
"Certainly," Sheridan said, relieved. "Until tomorrow then." The tube doors couldn't close fast   
enough for Sheridan. When they did, he bowed his head, shook it slowly a few times, then took a   
deep breath. In doing so, he caught a whiff of some awful smelling odor. Looking down, he saw a   
puddle of yellowish liquid on the floor--and he was standing right in the middle of it.  
  
As Delenn walked away from the transport tube, she could have sworn she heard someone   
screaming, far away.  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning, Daphne awoke to find Scooby whimpering in his sleep. He had been at the foot   
of her bed all night. Daphne woke him up by gently shaking him, and asked him, "What's the matter,   
boy?"  
  
"Ren re ree Raggy ragain?" Scooby whined.  
  
"I don't know Scooby," she answered with a catch in her voice. "I just don't know."  
  
  
  
  
  
All the ambassadors were gathered in a large anteroom of the council chambers for an informal   
reception for the new ambassador of the Stra'zinski. No one was sure why, but the new   
ambassador had asked for this arrangement, indicating that, for whatever reasons, he could only be   
present for a short period. Among the guests awaiting his arrival were Daphne and Scooby Doo.   
Scooby had been personally invited by Londo, despite Ivanova's objections.  
  
Ivanova, along with Garibaldi and Franklin, had spent several hours the previous evening listening   
to an irate Captain Sheridan discuss their future (or possible lack of same) on his station. So none   
of them were really in a party kind of mood, but being professionals, they put on their best happy   
faces. These four officers were now outside a docking bay, personally awaiting the new   
ambassador, and were soon to escort him to the reception.  
  
Scooby had been entrapped by Londo once again (though this time he was quite sober), and was   
trying to pay attention to Londo's never-ending stories of his life. Fortunately, there were lots of   
hors d'oeuvres, so Scooby was willing to endure Londo's company as long as he could eat.   
Actually, he really liked the fellow, he just wished he'd clam up sometime. Londo's assistant Vir tried   
to join in the conversation now and then, but he was quickly cut off each time by Londo.  
  
Daphne had been cornered by Delenn, who was intensely interested in all that Daphne had to say. It   
wasn't general knowledge that Daphne was from the past--in fact, outside of the senior staff, only   
Delenn knew this fact. Some of the other ambassadors looked at Daphne curiously, noting her   
unusual dress (which Daphne had managed to fix as good as new), wondering just who this human   
was and why she was there. But Delenn protected her from any embarrassing questions from the   
other ambassadors. Scooby, actually, was more easily accepted by the others, in fact there was   
quite a bit of discussion going on as to just what race he was from.  
  
G'Kar, who was the only Narn present, loudly protested that fact to any who would listen. It seems   
that all the other Narns on the station were prohibited from coming anywhere near Daphne and her   
duck for the duration of their stay on the station. Daphne kept a watchful eye on the "lizard man",   
certain that he was leering at her duck.  
  
At one point, Scooby managed to break away from Londo, who had been distracted by another   
ambassador. Scooby used the opportunity to check out the various food trays. He had hoped to   
find a nice big hamburger, or at least some hot dogs, but he had to settle for little finger sandwiches   
and other such niceties. He personally consumed more than all the other people in the room put   
together. It was all the food servers could do to keep the trays refilled. When Daphne noticed him,   
she gently admonished him to lay off for awhile and let the others get some food. Reluctantly,   
Scooby slunk away from the food tables and went about another very important bit of dog   
business--he started sniffing everyone in sight.  
  
When Scooby sniffed Delenn from behind, the Minbari jerked around so fast that Scooby gave out a   
startled yelp and jumped back. Delenn wasn't angry, but was interested in what Scooby was doing.   
So Daphne explained to her a little bit about what dogs do and why. When Daphne explained how   
sensitive a dog's nose is, Delenn, for some reason, found this to be extremely fascinating.  
  
Delenn watched intently as Scooby sniffed the ambassador nearest to her, who was a Pak'ma'ra, a   
very alien looking alien, Daphne thought. As soon as he sniffed him (or it, or whatever), Scooby   
made a grotesque face and said, "Rhew! Rat roop!"  
  
"Scooby!" Daphne exclaimed. Scooby looked sufficiently chastised as he slunk away.  
  
"What was that about?" Delenn asked.  
  
Daphne whispered to Delenn so that the Pak'ma'ra couldn't hear them. "Scooby said that alien   
smelled like cat poop."  
  
"Ah," said Delenn. "But what, exactly, is 'cat poop'?"  
  
After awhile, Delenn was called away by her assistant, Lennier, to speak to another ambassador.   
She excused herself, and Daphne used the opportunity to get something to drink. As she turned   
around, she bumped right into Vir, who had been sent over to retrieve Scooby. Daphne, who very   
nearly lost her footing, reached out to grab hold of the nearest object within reach, which turned out   
to be the same Pak'ma'ra that Scooby had sniffed earlier. The duck was thrown free once again, but   
was caught by Vir, who was already highly flustered at his faux pas. Daphne pulled herself back on   
her feet, apologized to the Pak'ma'ra, and tried to convince Vir that she was alright. But Vir just kept   
going on and on, apologizing and begging foregiveness.  
  
Finally, Daphne noticed that the duck seemed to be quite comfortable in Vir's arms. "I think she   
likes you," she said.  
  
"What?" Vir asked, befuddled by the sudden change of subject.  
  
"Daisy," Daphne said, pointing to her duck. "I think my duck, Daisy, likes you." Sure enough, the   
duck gave no indication that she wanted to be rescued from Vir's arms. Daphne was at once   
relieved and somewhat jealous; she had been holding that duck almost steadily since their arrival   
here. "Would you like to hold her for awhile?" she asked in her most charming voice.  
  
Vir, who could hardly say "no" to anyone, especially such a charming girl, gave a sheepish grin and   
said, "It would be my pleasure."  
  
As Vir turned away to return to Londo, Daphne said to him, "Just keep her away from the lizard   
people!" Vir nodded his head, not quite sure what she meant, but willing to do whatever was asked   
of him.  
  
When Daphne finally made her way to the punch bowl, she was about to dip herself a cup of   
whatever juice mixture was in there, when a handsome young man reached for the dipper ahead of   
her and said, "May I?"  
  
Daphne answered with a smile. "Thank you," she then said.  
  
The young man smiled back and said, "You must be our visitor from the past. I've been wanting to   
meet you."  
  
"Yes," Daphne answered. "I've noticed you've been watching me, Lt. Corwin."  
  
Corwin, somewhat embarrassed by her observation, blushed deeply. "How did you...? I never once   
saw you look at me!"  
  
"Oh, I've been trained to be a keen observer," Daphne answered. "It's a necessary part of my   
business, you know." Then, to put him at ease, she offered her hand. "Daphne Blake. Pleased to   
meet you."  
  
Corwin shook her hand nervously. He wasn't all that comfortable around women to start with,   
especially beautiful women who were obviously two steps ahead of him. He tried to find something   
charming or intelligent or at least comprehensible to say, but he couldn't come up with much of   
anything. So Daphne just made small talk with him until Scooby happened by.  
  
Scooby sniffed Corwin, who responded by petting Scooby on the head. "I've never seen a dog this   
close up before," Corwin commented. "They're quite rare now, you know."  
  
"So I've heard," Daphne responded. "That's a shame, too, because dogs are such wonderful   
companions. And Scooby is really special, he's a rare breed, you know. And a really good friend,   
right Scooby!"  
  
"Ru raid it," Scooby replied.  
  
"That's funny," Corwin said. "It almost sounded like he said something to you."  
  
"Oh, he did!" Daphne insisted. "Like I said, Scooby is a very special breed. His ancestors were   
raised by these scientists who worked with dogs for generations, to improve their intelligence   
levels."  
  
Corwin was certain Daphne was putting him on. "Are you saying that you can understand what that   
dog says?"  
  
"Certainly," said Daphne, most insistently. "You try it. Ask him anything."  
  
Corwin looked at Scooby, who sat there with his tongue hanging out, drooling on the fancy carpet   
beneath him. Corwin wasn't at all convinced, but Daphne was so insistent. So he finally said, "So,   
um...you're a dog."  
  
Scooby just rolled his eyes and started to make some smart remark, but just then everyone's   
attention was diverted to the doorway, where something was obviously about to happen.  
  
  
  
  
  
At last, after more than an hour's delay, the new ambassador finally was ready to make his   
appearance. He was preceeded by Sheridan, who entered the room along with his senior officers. A   
number of security officers accompanied the group as escorts. As the ambassador entered,   
Sheridan announced, "If I may have your attention, please!" The room quickly quieted down as all   
eyes turned towards the doorway. "May I present the ambassador of the Stra'zinski!"  
  
Into the room strode a large, very furry humanoid figure. Daphne immediately made the observation,   
"Why he looks just like a giant Teddy Bear!" Delenn, who was again beside Daphne, wondered   
what a Teddy Bear was, but decided to wait until later to ask.  
  
The Stra'zinski was covered from head to foot with very shaggy, dark brown hair. He head was   
somewhat round, and he did indeed resemble a large stuffed animal. He had clothing, however,   
such as it was, sort of a pair of coveralls, Daphne thought. Also, hanging from his shoulder was a   
large pouch made of red cloth. Other than that he had no other clothing, no ornaments of any sort,   
no accouterments at all, except for one small metal box-like object clipped to one of the shoulder   
straps of his outfit. It became apparent very quickly what purpose it served--when he spoke, the   
sound came out through that box. It was explained to those gathered that it was some sort of   
translation device, as the Stra'zinski apparently did not communicate in a verbal way as most races   
do. It was also explained that this race did not have individual names. However they identified each   
other was supposedly beyond the others' ability to comprehend.  
  
The Stra'zinski was led to a seat of honor in the middle of the main council chamber room where a   
series of short speeches were given, one by each of the races represented by ambassadors on   
Babylon 5. To say they were boring was to state the obvious, but Daphne was more interested in   
watching the new ambassador. He was certainly the most unusual being she had yet seen on the   
station. She wasn't quite sure why she was so fascinated by him--just her detective's instinct, she   
figured.  
  
Fortunately, the speeches were limited to only a few minutes each, so they were all done within an   
hour. Then the Stra'zinski ambassador himself got up and made a very short speech, covering all   
the usual niceties in less than three minutes. He concluded by pulling out a metal sculpture from his   
pouch. It wasn't much to look at, just a rectangular shaped object with a few stubs sticking out here   
and there along the sides, but it was supposedly an object of great value to the Stra'zinski. It was   
placed on the big table where the ambassadors of the major powers normally sat.  
  
Then it was time for all to meet the ambassador. A reception line was formed and, at Delenn's   
insistence, Daphne and Scooby lined up next to her. Each of the alien ambassadors were   
presented to the Stra'zinski by Sheridan. When the ambassador reached Daphne, Sheridan was at   
a loss as to how to introduce her, or even explain her presence at the reception. The moment of   
awkwardness ended abruptly, however, when Daphne took the initiative by saying, "Daphne Blake,   
representing Mystery, Inc. Pleased to meet you, sir."  
  
The Stra'zinski nodded towards her just as he had towards all those in the line. But then he saw   
Scooby, and the voice from his translation box said, "Is this your dog?"  
  
Daphne was startled for a moment, as she had not heard him speak to anyone else in line, but she   
answered, "Yes, sir. His name is Scoobert."  
  
Scooby, sitting straight and tall, offered his paw to the ambassador, who promptly took hold of it   
and shook it. "Good boy," he said. He petted Scooby on his head a couple of times, then moved on   
down the line.  
  
"That's odd," Daphne said softly.  
  
Delenn heard her, however, and asked, "What is?"  
  
"Oh, um, never mind," Daphne said, watching the ambassador continue on. When the end of the   
line had been reached, everyone returned to the antechamber immediately adjacent where the   
informal reception continued.  
  
Scooby was glad to get back to where the food was and continued on his quest to eat as much as   
possible of anything that was recognizable to him. He also continued to do his dog thing of sniffing   
everyone he passed by. At one point, he turned around to see the back end of a blue suited person   
who was bent over, apparently adjusting something. Scooby's nose got closer than he had   
intended and the person shot up straight with a whoop. It was Ivanova he had just goosed. She   
turned to look at Scooby--and she had fire in her eyes. Scooby crouched down as low as he could   
go and, grinning meekly, slunk away as fast as he could.  
  
Over the next hour or so, Daphne watched the Stra'zinski intently. She was careful not to make it   
obvious to anyone what she was doing, but she noticed a couple of things that she thought were   
quite unusual. First, the Stra'zinski kept looking at the clock (or whatever they called it in this   
century). At least once every couple of minutes, he would look up to see what time it was. Of course,   
she had heard that he was on a very strict schedule (the reason for which was not explained), so   
perhaps he just didn't want to be late.  
  
But when he went to get something to eat, he did something else that caught Daphne's notice. He   
made a great show of picking up each item of food and sniffing it, then he either made a disgusted   
face and put it back, or he just gobbled it down. Except, when he came to a bowl of strawberries, his   
eyes widened, he grinned, and he just grabbed about a dozen of them and popped them right into   
his mouth. Daphne thought that was quite curious.  
  
Finally the time came when the Stra'zinski approached Sheridan and told him it was time for him to   
leave. Sheridan again called for the crowd's attention, announced the departure of the ambassador,   
then the entourage lined up to depart in the same order they had arrived.  
  
Before they could leave, however, Daphne found Scooby nearby and called him over. "Scooby, I   
need you to do something, very quickly!"  
  
She whispered something in his ear, and he answered with, "Rokay!" Then he nonchalantly   
traipsed over near the Stra'zinski and got a good sniff of him as he headed out the door.  
  
When Scooby reported back to Daphne, she said, "I thought so...But I don't understand what's   
going on just yet." She glanced around the room quickly, looking for something that might give her   
a clue to explain her suspicions, all the time mulling over all the information she had gathered. "I   
wish Velma was here," she said. "She's better at putting all the clues together than I am."  
  
Then she happened to glance through the open door into the main council chambers where all the   
speeches had been made. What she saw there caused her to gasp as she suddenly put it all   
together. "Oh, my goodness!" she muttered softly as her eyes widened further than they ever had   
before.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sheridan had Garibaldi dismiss the security officers who had escorted them down to the docking   
bay. Then he and his senior officers entered the doorway to where the Stra'zinski ambassador's   
ship was docked. Sheridan said a few words of farewell and wished him well and hoped that they   
would meet again soon and had just shook hands one final time with the ambassador when   
suddenly someone burst through the doorway behind them.  
  
"Hold it you big phoney!" Daphne yelled.  
  
Everyone turned to see her come rushing into the room. Scooby was right behind her and Delenn   
and Lennier were right behind him. Before Daphne could reach the ambassador, though, Sheridan   
stepped in front of her and grabbed hold of her. "What's going on!" he demanded.  
  
Daphne struggled, but could not break free of Sheridan's grip. Scooby slid to a stop just in front of   
the ambassador, growled and bared his teeth at him. The Stra'zinski, obviously unnerved, quickly   
stepped over behind Ivanova.  
  
"He's not real!" Daphne insisted, struggling as hard as she could to get free of Sheridan. "You can't   
let him get away!"  
  
Sheridan had no idea what she was getting at. He just kind of shook his head and said,   
"What...what are you talking about."  
  
Delenn stepped forward and said, "Hear her out, Captain."  
  
For some reason that he could not explain, Sheridan felt compelled to listen to the Minbari   
ambassador. He released his grip on Daphne, who immediately confronted the Stra'zinski.  
  
Daphne walked right up to the ambassador, who was still keeping Ivanova between him and   
Scooby. "I know your secret--and I can prove it!"  
  
Before anyone realized what was happening, the Stra'zinski reached into his pouch, pulled out a   
mean looking handgun and grabbed Ivanova around the neck, pushing the gun right into her ear.   
"Nobody move!" he commanded.  
  
Everyone present was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that they probably wouldn't have   
moved anyway. Sheridan and his officers put their hands above their heads as the ambassador   
pulled Ivanova towards his ship.  
  
But Daphne knew what to do. She whispered something to Scooby, who started to move away from   
her in a wide circle around the ambassador. When the Stra'zinski turned away from Daphne,   
keeping his eyes on Scooby, she swiftly reached into her purse, stepped right up to the   
ambassador on his blind side, and said, "Smile!" Then she stuck her camera right in his face and   
set off the flash. He reacted by throwing his gun hand in front of his now blinded eyes. Then, before   
he could do anything else, Scooby did his part--he took a big bite of the ambassador's rear end!  
  
The Stra'zinski screamed in pain and released his grip on Ivanova. She immediately elbowed him in   
the stomach, then spun around and popped him a good one right in the nose. The ambassador   
dropped to the floor, flat on his back.  
  
Scooby jumped on top of him, effectively pinning him to the floor so that he could hardly move.   
Daphne knelt down beside his head, and while the others looked on in bewilderment, she began   
tugging at his head!  
  
After three good tugs, her efforts were rewarded as the Stra'zinski's head came off with a loud   
popping noise. Daphne held up the head, smiled broadly and proudly said, "See!"  
  
As Sheridan and the others came near, expecting to see a headless alien, they were instead   
confronted with the sight of a quite ordinary human who was obviously wearing a very complex   
costume.  
  
After a few moments of staring at this unexpected sight, Garibaldi, who already had his PPG aimed   
at the phoney alien, asked Daphne to call Scooby off. When Scooby had released him, Sheridan   
and Franklin helped the phoney to his feet. The phoney shook free of their grasp, only to have   
Garibaldi point the PPG right in his face.  
  
"All right--you've got me!" the phoney alien said. "But I'm taking you all with me!" As he said this, he   
reached for one of the knobs on his "translation device". Daphne flinched, but was quite relieved   
when nothing happened. The phoney kept pressing the knob time and again, until Garibaldi, who   
by now had been joined by several security officers, including Zack, secured him with hand-cuffs.  
  
As they pulled the phoney towards the door, Garibaldi said to him, "I don't know what your plan   
was, but it's all over now."  
  
The phoney alien screamed back at Garibaldi and the others, "This isn't over--you have no idea who   
it is you're fighting!" Then he turned towards Daphne and said, spitefully, "And I would have gotten   
away with it if it wasn't for that meddling kid and her dog!"  
  
There was a long silence in the room after the security people had left. All eyes were now on   
Daphne, who kind of relished being in the spotlight for a change. "Well?" Garibaldi said. "Are you   
going to tell us what this was all about?"  
  
"Sure," Daphne said, then she began her explanation as the others gathered around. "I suspected   
something was not quite right as soon as he was introduced to me in the reception line. He asked   
me if Scooby was my dog. Now, I certainly don't know as much about alien cultures as you folks do,   
but I had heard someone say that this Stra'zinski hadn't had any contact with humans, except by   
radio. So, how could he possibly know what a dog was? That made me suspicious right away, so I   
kept a close eye on him the whole time he was at the reception.  
  
"One thing that I noticed was that he kept looking at that clock-thing in the reception room. Not just   
every once in a while, but constantly--like every two minutes at least. I couldn't figure out why until   
later, but that turned out to be a very important clue.  
  
"Then, when he was getting food, he followed the same routine with every item he picked up--he   
always sniffed the food first, then either put it back or ate it--except when he got to the strawberries.   
He just gobbled them down like he knew exactly what they were.  
  
"So, I thought about this and thought about it until I finally realized what it all meant. Then I had   
Scooby go over and sniff him, and sure enough, Scooby told me he was a human! I wanted to tell   
someone about it, but I still couldn't quite figure out why he was so interested in the time. Then I   
saw something that put it all together. You know that little sculpture that he left in the council   
chamber? It was the only thing he left behind, so that had to be it. I took Scooby over and had him   
sniff it--and I was right! It was a bomb!"  
  
At this 'bombshell', everyone's mouths dropped open even wider than they already were. Not   
wanting to prolong the suspense, Daphne continued, "It's all right! I had Lt. Corwin get rid of it. The   
poor guy was so sweet. He was sure he was going to get in big trouble just for touching the   
sculpture, and here I was asking him to eject it out the nearest hatch! If it hadn't been for Delenn, we   
might have all been blown up anyway, but she believed me and convinced Corwin to get rid of the   
bomb." Daphne paused, waiting for someone to say something, but everyone was still so shocked,   
they could only stare at her dumbly.  
  
"So that's all there is," Daphne finally said.  
  
"Well," Delenn said, "you're quite the hero, young lady."  
  
"Oh, it wasn't any big deal," Daphne said, feigning modesty as best as she could. "Of course, if it   
weren't for Scooby, I couldn't have proved anything. He's the real hero here." She reached into her   
purse and pulled out the one remaining bag of Scooby snacks and gave him three of them. Scooby   
scarfed them up and ran over to a private spot where he could enjoy them to the full.  
  
"Dog food!" Garibaldi abruptly said to Daphne. "You let me eat dog food!"  
  
"Oh, don't worry about it," she replied. "Shaggy loves them, too."  
  
"Well, um," Sheridan began, "I think we've had quite enough excitement for one day."  
  
That was the signal for everyone to start towards the door. But they were stopped by the sudden   
appearance of another alien, one well known to those on Babylon 5! Daphne hadn't seen him yet,   
as she had noticed that Scooby had suddenly started whimpering. But when she finally looked up,   
she nearly fainted!  
  
"The Shower Curtain Guy!" she gasped.  
  
Everyone in the room looked at each other. Absolutely no one spoke, but it didn't take a telepath to   
know that every single one of them was silently repeating: "the Shower Curtain Guy?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Just then, Ambassador Kosh of the Vorlons spoke through the aperture at the front of his   
encounter suit's helmet. His voice sounded like it was whispered through a metal tube as he said,   
"It is time for you to return."  
  
Within the next few minutes, it became apparent to all that Kosh (or at least the Vorlons) had had   
something to do with Daphne's sudden arrival on Babylon 5. Of course, Kosh would not answer   
any questions whatsoever, but who of them knew what all the Vorlons were capable of. Kosh only   
spoke once, telling Daphne, "Bring your animals to my ship."  
  
Daphne, not trusting this guy at all, hesitated. But Delenn, who seemed to have some sort of inside   
track with Kosh, spoke to him privately. Delenn then convinced Daphne that this was her only hope   
of returning home.  
  
So Daphne, now barely able to contain her joy at the prospect of returning home, Scooby, Sheridan,   
Garibaldi, Ivanova, Franklin, Delenn, and Lennier all followed Kosh as he glided through the   
corridors of Bablon 5. They stopped briefly at the council chambers where Vir was still carrying   
Daphne's duck. Londo insisted on coming along, as did G'Kar, still hoping to get one last chance at   
that bird. Zack came in just then to report that the Stra'zinski was safely locked up in Security.  
  
Then Corwin came in. Seeing Sheridan, he straightened up (as he always did in his commanding   
officer's presence), and reported about the bomb. "I managed to eject it through one of the   
maintenance portals. It shot out of there like a rocket! I estimate that it was about a mile away when   
it exploded, so it didn't do any damage at all to the station. If it had exploded in here, though, there   
would be an awful lot of dead people walking around here right now." Everyone laughed at   
Corwin's gaffe. He blushed, but at seeing Daphne wink at him, he joined in the laughter.  
  
Kosh had apparently had enough of this frivolity, for he said, "Come!"  
  
Daphne pulled out her camera and asked, "Can I take a quick picture as a souvenir?"  
  
To everyone's surprise it was Kosh who answered, "Yessss." So everyone lined up for the picture,   
Kosh included. Daphne asked Corwin to take the picture, which he did, after first flashing it in his   
own face.  
  
Then everyone was off to docking bay 13, the place where Kosh's ship is docked, the place where   
Daphne and Scooby first appeared. As the door opened, Kosh turned and indicated that only   
Daphne and her animals could enter. So it was now time for goodbyes.  
  
"You know," Sheridan said, "you can't tell anyone about this. If you do, you could seriously change   
the future."  
  
"I know," Daphne answered. "I doubt if anyone would believe me anyway. So don't worry, I promise   
I won't tell anyone about this. Not even Freddy." Daphne then hugged everyone present (except   
G'Kar, whom she still didn't like). She gave Corwin a little kiss on the cheek and he brightened up   
like he'd never been kissed before.  
  
Scooby, meanwhile, did his own goodbyes. He gave Londo a farewell handshake and it looked like   
the Centauri ambassador was going to cry; Londo was rapidly losing what few friends he had, and   
was certainly going to miss this one.  
  
Then Scooby stood before Ivanova and looked up at her with his big goofy smile, tongue hanging   
way out. She looked down at him and actually smiled. "Well, you did save my life there, so I guess I   
can forgive you." She bent down to shake his paw and Scooby instantly licked her a big one right   
across her mouth. Ivanova straightened up, her eyes narrowed, and everyone flinched--Garibaldi   
even instinctively reached for his PPG. But then she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, took a deep   
breath, and said, "You big dumb mutt!" and smiled broadly. Then she bent down and gave Scooby   
a big hug, scratching him profusely behind his ear. Everybody laughed at the sight.  
  
As Daphne headed for the doorway, she turned and waved one last time. "I'm going to miss you   
all," she said. Then she made the Vulcan greeting sign with her hand and said, "Ready to beam me   
up, Scotty." Everyone stared blankly. Daphne looked at Garibaldi and said, "You know, Star   
Trek?...Mr. Spock?...the Enterprise?" Garibaldi just shrugged his shoulders. "Well," Daphne said,   
"who would have thought?"  
  
Then off they went through the big doors of the docking bay. The doors closed behind them with a   
loud thud. About four minutes later, there was a series of unusual noises coming from behind the   
doors, noises that are generally associated with electro-magnetic activity.  
  
Sheridan's com-link buzzed. "Go!" he said.  
  
The duty officer in C & C reported that they were experiencing a repeat of the same sort of unknown   
energy activity that had preceded Daphne's appearance. And the mysterious conglomerate of   
radiation was coming from two sources once again--Epsilon 3, the planet below them, and also a   
far-off point in space.  
  
After about ten minutes of activity, all the noises stopped. C & C reported that the radiation had also   
ceased. One by one, those gathered before the docking bay doors drifted away until, finally, only   
Sheridan remained. As if it were planned, the doors then opened and Kosh reappeared.  
  
Sheridan stood before Kosh, blocking the doorway. Sheridan had not yet had much opportunity to   
actually speak with Kosh and this seemed like a good time to take a stab at it. Besides, Sheridan   
wanted some answers.  
  
"So, Ambassador Kosh," Sheridan began. "I take it the Vorlons were basically responsible for   
bringing those..." (he started to say "people")..."'visitors' from the past." Kosh ignored the question   
and started to walk around Sheridan. "Now hold on! I think we deserve an explanation."  
  
As Kosh continued to go around Sheridan, the bold Captain actually considered for a moment   
grabbing ahold of him. But then he thought better of it. Kosh paused and turned to face Sheridan.   
"It was...a mistake," Kosh said.  
  
"A mistake!" Sheridan repeated. "I didn't think the Vorlons made mistakes. Or at least didn't admit   
it."  
  
Kosh ignored Sheridan and again turned away. Sheridan caught up to Kosh and walked beside   
him. After going only a few steps, Sheridan again spoke. "There's one thing I just don't understand.   
Apparently, that was you they saw in Kansas in the late 20th century." He paused, but Kosh just   
kept going, ignoring him. So Sheridan continued, "What...?" He struggled to phrase the question   
just right. "Why...? Why did you have all those ducks?"  
  
Kosh stopped short. He didn't turn to face Sheridan, but, after a long moment, said, "They possess   
a secret that man has yet to discover."  
  
"A secret!?! Ducks?!?" Sheridan couldn't believe his ears. "What secret? Flight? Immortality?   
Unlimited power?" Sheridan thought he responding to a ridiculous concept with his own ridiculous   
speculations.  
  
But, surprisingly, Kosh turned towards him one last time and said, "Yessss."  
  
Sheridan somehow knew that he would get no more out this mysterious Vorlon, for he knew that   
was Kosh's way of brushing him off. Kosh continued on down the corridor, leaving Sheridan to   
wonder in amazement what in the world Kosh meant by such an incredible statement.  
  
However, Kosh's comment seemed to stick in Sheridan's mind for a long time to come. For it is not   
generally known, that in his last few years on Minbar, he took to raising ducks. And, it was reported   
that he spent many long hours in solitude, all alone with his ducks.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A few days later, Lt. Corwin was just leaving his station at the end of his shift when he heard   
Daphne's name spoken by Ivanova. He moved over to where he could hear the conversation   
between her and Sheridan.  
  
Ivanova showed Sheridan a computer disc, "I accessed an old archive at a big library back on   
Earth, and look what I found!" She inserted the disc into the console at her work station. Displayed   
on the screen was a facsimile of an ancient book, The Autobiography of Daphne Blake.  
  
"Well, I'll be," Sheridan said. Corwin moved even closer so that he could see the display screen.  
  
Ivanova continued, "I read through it last night--what a fascinating life she led!--and I found   
something that ought to interest you and all of us that met her. She made it home--and she kept her   
word, she doesn't mention her visit anywhere. But look at this in the back of the book. There's an   
appendix titled: 'To My Friends on B5'. I couldn't believe it!" Ivanova read the text:  
  
  
"I don't know if you'll ever be able to read this, but if you do, I wanted you to know that I made it back   
home all right. And you know what? Nobody even knew Scooby and I were gone! My friends and the   
whole town had no memories of what had transpired there! I'll bet our mutual friend, the Shower   
Curtain Guy, had something to do with that! I really wish I could visit you again, but I know that isn't   
possible, so I just wanted to send my love to you all. I've had a great life and I'm certain each of you   
have a wonderful future to look forward to.  
  
P.S. Scooby says to give Susan a great big lick for him!"  
  
  
Ivanova happened to glance at Corwin as she finished reading. He had a broad smile on his face.   
She knew what was on his mind, so she said, "Don't even think it!"  
  
Looking back at the book, she accessed one more page. "And look at this." Sheridan and Corwin   
leaned closer. "There's the picture of all of us! The caption reads: 'Daphne with Scooby and some   
friends at a Sci-Fi convention'."  
  
"What's a Sci-Fi convention?" Sheridan asked.  
  
Ivanova just shrugged. They both looked at Corwin, who also shrugged.  
  
"Well," Sheridan commented. "That's great! I'd like to read that when you're done with it, and   
Garibaldi and Stephen probably will, too."  
  
"Me, too!" Corwin said.  
  
Then Lt. Corwin took his leave of his superior officers and walked out into the corridor towards his   
quarters. Lost in his own daydreams, he rounded a corner and ran right into a young woman,   
knocking her right off her feet! He was all apologetic as he helped the woman up. He recognized her   
uniform as IPX--Interplanetary Explorations. But when he looked at her face, his mouth dropped   
open and he said, "Daphne?!?"  
  
"Excuse me?" the woman said, brushing back her long red hair out of her face. Her resemblance to   
Daphne was extraordinary.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Corwin said. "You look so much like someone I met recently."  
  
"It's funny you should call me Daphne, though," she said. At Corwin's quizzical look, she   
continued, "Several members of my family have had that name. Seems we had a famous ancestor   
named Daphne."  
  
"No way!" Corwin said, incredulously. But then he noticed something else that made his eyes   
widen. Around her neck, on a thin gold chain, was a metal heart-shaped disk, the gold plating nearly   
worn completely off. Engraved in the center were the letters: SD.  
  
The woman, noticing Corwin staring at it, said, "It's an old family heirloom; I guess it's been in my   
family for centuries. I don't normally wear it around because I don't want to lose it, but, it's   
funny--whenever I'm on an expedition on some strange, spooky planet, just wearing this old tag   
makes me feel all safe for some reason."  
  
Corwin shook his head, seemingly trying to come to his senses. Finally, he said, "I'm David   
Corwin."  
  
"Fredrika," she said. "My friends call me 'Freddy'."  
  
"Freddy," Corwin said. "Would you care to join me for supper?" When she nodded positively,   
Corwin continued, "Have I got a story to tell you!"  
THE END  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
johna@cet.com 


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